Nearly 100 Jewish 'singles' immigrate to Israel together
More than 200 olim arrive Tuesday on Nefesh B'Nefesh flight, met at airport by opposition leader Tzipi Livni.
By Shlomo Shamir Tags: Jewish World aliyah Israel news Tzipi LivniMore than 200 new immigrants arrived Tuesday at Ben Gurion Airport, nearly half of them young Jewish 'singles' who chose to move to Israel alone.
The El Al flight was organized by the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B' Nefesh, a nonprofit organization that has helped 22,000 people from the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain immigrate to Israel since its founding in 2002.
Ninety-one out of the 204 passengers (57 women and 34 men) are unmarried.
The group of new immigrants were greeted at Ben Gurion Airport with a celebratory ceremony where opposition leader, Tzipi Livni was present.
Jeremy Mekuper, a 23-year-old from Florida, was one of the young singles on the flight. He visited Israel for the first time in 2002 and has returned for eight subsequent visits since then.
Mekuper, who speaks fluent Hebrew, told Haaretz that his love for the country and for Israelis became stronger with each visit. He intends to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces and hopes to eventually work in Israel's Foreign Service.
Olivia Fisher, a 23-year-old from Connecticut, who has previously lived in Israel, also arrived on the 'singles' flight on Tuesday. She explained that her main reason for wanting to establish roots in the country was for her Israeli boyfriend and her desire to study at Tel Aviv University.
The flight, which left from Kennedy Airport in New York, was the fourth and last flight of the summer organized by Nefesh B' Nefesh in conjunction with the Jewish Agency.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
if jews can come home Palestinian has a right to come home also!
The ARABS AND ISLAM HAS OVER 22 COUNTRIES and millions of square miles. They have enough land. It is Arab greed and islamic intolerance that does not allow JEWS to live in peace in their holy land.
Wiktor's comments are appropriate and similar to my thoughts..American Jews keeping their options open as being "Bi" not sexually but as citizens. Some Palastinians have deeds a documents owning certain lands on the west bank and inside Israel; that's more credible than your phrase: "illegal aliens brought by Muslims to inhabit the land until we Jews saw fir to return home." Any one uses Nazi as comparasions are not very articulate. Danny start making peace in Israel, the world is not going take much more of this behavior. See Netanyahu is approving the freeze. Give back the land and make peace. Do something worth while with your life.
Good luck, good health, happiness and prosperity for the exciting & challenging journey ahead. Baruchim Ha'Baim and Shalom.
Becauss Wiktor if that is really your name...they are coming home to Israel. As for your Palestinian Arabs..they have no homes in Israel. They are not citizens of this country but illegal aliens brought by Muslims to inhabit the land until we Jews saw fit to return home. So stay in America and whine and complain and be so misguided that even your name sounds like a nazi.
ask why funds promised to olim for opening small business or re-trainning courses, which were passed in the Knesset in April, but still in September no funds have been transfered leaving new olim who are working hard to survive financially, socially and culturally, out in the cold. The israeli government promotes ayliah to the worlds jews but doesnt back it up with promised funding to misrad haklita..........shame bibi shame.. your zionism isnt my vision of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
did they surrender their American passports? Or are they really just opportunists that benefit from American largesse? Have they asked themselves "Why can't Palestinians return to their properties in Israel?" Or "Why can we Jews discriminate against everybody when we have Equal Rights in the USA?" Or "Why are we such damned hypocrites?" I guess just not yet.............
Welcome home after 2000 years of forced exile after being ethnically cleansed from the Land of Israel. You are all part of the great act of reversing the great injustice of ethnic cleansing. Welcome home my Jewish brothers and sisters!!!