First Nefesh B’Nefesh Aliyah flight since Oct. 7 lands in Israel with 225 new immigrants

There is celebration, music and tears of emotion as 225 new immigrants land at Ben Gurion Airport this morning on the first Nefesh B’Nefesh Aliyah flight since Hamas launched its war against Israel on October 7, 2023.

“I have so many emotions now. We’re living a dream,” says David Tauber, who is moving with his family from Philadelphia to the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem. “We’re here to be part of the rebuilding of our land.”

“I never thought we would get here, and it’s been an overwhelming process,” an overwhelmed mother, Atara Werterntheil says. “But it feels right, and this is very special. We are very lucky.”

The flight from New York’s JFK Airport included 45 families with 125 children. The youngest new immigrant was nine months old, and the oldest was 72 years old. Many families wore matching t-shirts that they had created specifically for the flight.

More than 1,000 North American immigrants are set to arrive in Israel in August, the highest monthly total ever since NBN was founded in 2002 to promote Aliyah, the organization says.

While overall immigration numbers dropped by 30% in 2024, most of that decline is due to a drop from Russia and Ukraine, where more than half of all new immigrants come from, Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer tells The Times of Israel. Immigration from the United States, France, Great Britain, Canada and other western countries is on the rise, he notes.

Overall, NBN is expecting about 4,000 new immigrants in 2025, which would be one of its best years in history. NBN saw an 80% spike in aliyah inquiries immediately following the October 7 attacks, vice president of communications Yael Katsman says. As the full process for families typically takes 18 months or longer, that uptick in interest is only this summer converting to new olim, she explains.