233 North Americans will arrive in Israel on an El Al Boeing 777 chartered by Nefesh B’Nefesh and officially make Aliyah next Wednesday, 13 Menachem Av. The flight is being facilitated in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Immigrant Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel (KKL), JNF-USA and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar.

The passengers include 75 young men and women who will become Israeli citizens and volunteer in the IDF. They are moving to Israel as ‘Lone Soldiers’, youngsters who left their families in the US and Canada to move to Israel and volunteer for the Israeli Army. They will join the over 900 Lone Soldiers from the US, and the 3,000 Lone Soldiers from around the world who are currently serving in the IDF.

The flight’s other passengers include a diverse mix of people from 22 US states and one Canadian province, including 24 families, 78 children and 10 medical professionals. Ages of immigrants range from 3.5 weeks to 85-years-old.

With this flight, NBN will celebrate its 50,000th immigrant brought to Israel with the organization, which was founded in 2002.

A special welcome ceremony will be held at Ben-Gurion Airport upon the flight’s arrival and will include: President Reuven Rivlin; Minister Tzachi Hanegbi; Minister of Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver; Director of the Aliyah, Absorption and Special Operations Unit of the Jewish Agency for Israel Yehuda Sharf; Chairman of Garin Tzabar Eli Ben Yosef; and Co-Founders of Nefesh B’Nefesh Rabbi Yehoshua Fass & Tony Gelbart.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)