More than 200 North American Jews arrived in Israel on Tuesday under the auspices of Nefesh B'Nefesh, a nonprofit organization promoting aliyah from the West. To facilitate the event, the organization chartered a plane with the help of the Immigrant Absorption Ministry, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the Jewish National Fund. A total of 221 people were on the flight, including 32 families containing 95 children, and more than 50 single people.
One of the more fascinating stories is that of Elliot Diaz, a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps who served in Afghanistan. During his service he was in charge of more than 100 troops. Diaz's father is Jewish but his mother is Christian. Shortly before his departure, at a special ceremony at New York's Kennedy International Airport, he told Israel Hayom that he was raised as a Christian but somewhere inside he has always considered himself part of the Jewish people. He added that his friends thought he was out his mind when he decided to make aliyah, but added that he was fully aware of the difficulties that lie ahead. He said he was undeterred, stressing that he would like to live in Israel and have his children raised in an Israeli, not an American, setting.
Senior Citizens Minister Gila Gamliel, who attended the ceremony, said the immigrants deserved the tip of the hat for their sacrifice. You have to chosen to come to Israel of your own free will," Gamliel said. "Not because of anti-Semitism, not because of religious persecution, not because of poverty, but you are coming from a shared system of values and ideals, to build your home in the Jewish state, to return to Zion, just as countless of other families have done. You are following the Zionist dream."
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor also delivered remarks at the ceremony. "You and I share a common mission," he said. "I and the team at the United Nations stand on the front lines every day, defending Israel from those who question Israel's right to exist. You are the answer -- each and every one of you. You are the answer to the boycott divestment and sanctions, you are the answer to anti-Semitism, and you are the answer to all those who question the only Jewish state, the nation-state of the Jewish people."
Nefesh BNefesh co-founder Rabbi Yehoshua Fass told Israel Hayom that the newly minted Israelis are the ultimate manifestation of Zionism in 2015.
Some 2,000 people are expected to make aliyah during the summer months.
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