NEW YORK – Fourteen years since beginning its life-changing work, Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) is approaching the milestone of having facilitated 50,000 North Americans in making Aliyah (immigration to Israel).

On March 6, Nefesh B’Nefesh, which facilitates the Aliyah process for Jews in North America and the United Kingdom, will be visiting New York as part of a tour of eight North American cities. In each city, NBN will hold an Aliyah fair to provide potential Olim, or those considering making Aliyah, with critical information about the immigration process. The Aliyah fairs are co-hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh, Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and JNF-USA.

The New York Aliyah fair will be held at Crowne Plaza Times Square, 1605 Broadway, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Additional Aliyah fairs are being organized in Los Angeles, south Florida, Montreal, Toronto, Baltimore, Washington, and Chicago.

“Nefesh B’Nefesh’s annual events help people take the first steps in transforming the aspiration of Aliyah into the reality of being an Oleh Hadash (new immigrant),” said Marc Rosenberg, Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh’s Pre-Aliyah Department. “These fairs are the best ways for those thinking about making Aliyah to better understand the processes, opportunities and benefits that await them in Israel. Every year, we look forward to this chance to bring the Aliyah conversation directly into local communities across the United States and Canada.”

The Aliyah fairs, themed “Make Yourself at Home,” give people the chance to explore through workshops and one-on-one conversations with Israeli professionals from Aliyah-related fields the many short-term logistical details and long-term implications of making Aliyah, including choosing a community to move to, finding a new home, enrolling children in school, attaining professional licensing, getting a driver’s license, securing health and other insurance, etc.

Participants can meet with accountants, financial planners, shippers, and representatives from industries including insurance, healthcare, real estate, higher education, and more. Those present will benefit from workshops and seminars on topics such as careers in Israel, taxes and budgeting, Israeli healthcare, and Aliyah rights and benefits. Representatives of The Jewish Agency for Israel will also discuss the process for verifying Aliyah eligibility and the Agency’s programs to help people transition to Israeli life.

“There’s no way to be fully prepared for everything that comes along with picking up and moving to Israel, but Nefesh B’Nefesh has been an invaluable support system for me the whole way,” said Rebekah Friedman, who made Aliyah in 2013 and will be speaking at the New York fair. “Details such as finalizing the logistics for my group flight and helping me get my resume in order once I made Aliyah may seem trivial, but they make all the difference once you start going through the process.”

At the events, participants will learn about some of the unique Nefesh B’Nefesh programs through which they can resettle in communities amidst the breathtaking landscapes of Northern Israel, as well as in the Negev, in Southern Israel, which while it constitutes 66% of Israel’s land, is only populated by 8% of its people. Israel’s Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee will be present with a large staff in order to review the various options and benefits available to new Olim interested in heading to these areas.

In addition, Israeli Ministry of Health officials will be on hand to discuss and expedite the medical licensing process for Olim who plan to move to Israel soon, to ensure a rapid transition to work in medical fields. These officials will also offer seminars on licensing procedures in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, nutrition, pharmacology, and more – and provide personal information sessions.

Since it was founded in 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh has chartered more than 50 Aliyah flights from North America, and more than 90 percent of Olim have remained in Israel since arriving. The organization has changed the lives of both those who have relocated and those already living in Israel, by bringing newcomers to almost 200 Israeli communities, who have met and married their spouses, raised children, and become educators, scientists, medical professionals, among many other careers.

Interested participants may register to attend at: http://www.nbn.org.il/makeithome/new-york-spring-aliyah-fair-2016/.