Aliyah groups decry Nefesh B'Nefesh unilateralism in U.K.

Nefesh B'Nefesh announced plans to expand to the U.K. without first consulting with the Jewish Agency or the United Jewish Israel Appeal of Great Britain (UJIA), officials from both British organizations said this week.

NBN, which encourages immigration to Israel from North America, will begin operating in the U.K. later this month. The organization recently announced plans to charter a flight from London for new immigrants in mid-August. The office of the Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks, and other community leaders have expressed support for the decision.

Critics of the move say NBN has acted unilaterally and without proper consideration of the local Jewish communal structure.

Speaking by telephone from his London office, UJIA Chief Executive Douglas Krikler read from a carefully worded statement. "The aliyah needs of the British Jewish community have always been well served by the partnership between the Jewish Agency and the UJIA," he read. "We are concerned that Nefesh B'Nefesh has chosen to establish an operation in the U.K. without any consultation with us in a way which could lead to confusion and the duplication of resources.

"As we have the shared aim of supporting the people of Israel and our community," Krikler continued, "I am sure that we will all do our best to ensure that we can move forward in a collaborative and productive way." He refused to answer any questions.

An agreement between the Jewish Agency and the UJIA stipulates that the former is responsible for promoting aliyah and the immigration process, while the UJIA, which has offices in Israel, helps immigrants with their absorption.

The press release announcing the move issued this week by NBN said that the decision to expand followed "an overwhelming number of requests" by British Jews for assistance.

"England is the most natural expansion for Nefesh B'Nefesh's services," NBN co-founder and executive director Rabbi Yehoshua Fass said in the press release. "The Israeli government, Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks and additional key British figures have given us their blessings and together we hope to achieve great success there as well."

But tensions are running high, despite relatively smooth cooperation between NBN and the Jewish Agency on operations in North America. According to a statement released by the agency, "the initiative of Nefesh B'Nefesh to expand to the U.K. has yet to be examined by the United Jewish Israel Appeal of Great Britain, the umbrella organization of the British Jewish community with which the Jewish Agency works to facilitate aliyah from the U.K."

According to a Jewish Agency source, the announcement caught officials there by surprise while also angering some leaders in the British community.

"The British have pride and they don't need Americans telling them how to operate things. When Americans preach to Britons about the importance of aliyah, success is not guaranteed and there may be a backlash. The British Jewish community has been doing a great job on its own. They don't need American Jews to save them from themselves. Nefesh B'Nefesh wants to be independent but is ignoring the structure of the community."

Haaretz has learned that NBN sent a letter to a senior Jewish Agency official two weeks ago, after a media leak reported that the organization was considering expansion to the U.K. After the plans were reported in the press, an NBN official called the publication premature and said NBN would wait for a clarification from the Jewish Agency about its level of cooperation before formally announcing the U.K. expansion.

The official press release sent to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, therefore, caught the Jewish Agency by surprise, the source said. "The Jewish Agency was in negotiations with Nefesh B'Nefesh and the UJIA, and no one expected them to act so quickly and secretively."

NBN headquarters will remain in Jerusalem, but staff will regularly travel to the U.K. to provide informational seminars throughout the country on issues such as employment and housing. Since it was founded in 2002, NBN in cooperation with the Jewish Agency has facilitated the immigration to Israel of about 7,000 Jews from the U.S. and Canada. Potential immigrants receive counseling, and families are eligible for a financial package that can exceed $20,000.

Nefesh B'Nefesh officials told Haaretz that they are in the midst of "high-level discussions" with both UJIA and the Jewish Agency. "I am absolutely confident that they will bear fruit in the coming days, since we have the same goals and that is increasing aliyah," NBN Executive Vice President of Israeli Operations Danny Oberman said.

Oberman said that following the media leak two weeks ago the office was flooded with calls from potential immigrants in the U.K.. "It was clear that we had to plan," he said. "We are able to move quite quickly, sometimes faster than other larger organizations." An application for their August 15th flight from the U.K. already appears on NBN's website.

Meanwhile, U.K. immigrants and community workers in Israel have welcomed the news of expansion. "Anything that encourages people to come here on aliyah is very positive," Brenda Katten, chair of the Israel, Britain and Commonwealth Association, said. "What Nefesh B'Nefesh offers with their financial assistance has never been done before and that has enormous significance, particularly for young couples and people coming from the West who are used to a certain standard of living."

David Harris, 27, who immigrated from Wales earlier this year, said that he might have come two years ago if he had been offered financial assistance.

"My personal experience with the [Jewish Agency] was very good in terms of aliyah and they provided the support that I needed," he said. "At the same time, the Americans I've met in ulpan have very positive things to say about Nefesh B'Nefesh."

Last year 3,100 immigrants arrived from the U.S., while 481 immigrants arrived from the U.K. - a record for both countries.