Summer influx of Olim arrive in Israel’s busiest Aliyah season yet
More than 2,000 Olim arrived in Israel from North America between June and September 2024 citing Zionist ideals and solidarity with Israel as their reasons despite the ongoing war.
Sarah Hiller-Bersson has been dreaming about making Aliyah for years, decades even. She’s spent much of her adult life developing plans with the perfect timing to move her family to the homeland. After years of consideration, and with the support of Nefesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF-USA, she and her family finally set a date for the Summer of 2024.
“On October 7th, my husband and I looked at each other and we both said, ‘We’re still going,’” Hiller-Bersson said from her new home in Modi’in, Israel. “We’d been making these plans for years and we knew moving to Israel was part of something big.”
Hiller-Bersson, her husband, and their three children arrived in Israel on July 17th, just as a huge influx of new Olim began during the summer Aliyah season. According to Nefesh B’Nefesh, more than 2,000 new Olim on 14 different group flights are joining Israel between June and September 2024 in what has been one of the busiest Aliyah seasons yet.
These new Olim include 445 singles, 170 families, and 280 retirees ranging in age from two months old to 97 years old, with an average age of 28.
Surprisingly, there has been a substantial increase in requests to start the Aliyah process since October 7th. Since the devastating Hamas attack, Nefesh B’Nefesh has received over 13,000 requests, a 76% increase compared to the same period the previous year.
“It has been heartwarming to welcome hundreds of new Olim who, in the face of the current uncertainty, continue to arrive with unwavering determination to fulfill their dreams of making Israel their home,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. “It is inspiring to see so many impassioned Olim embark on this exciting new chapter in their lives, and we are ever present to provide unwavering support and guidance to ensure their smooth integration into Israeli society.”
This surge in interest is primarily driven by Zionist ideals and solidarity with the Jewish state, with 47% of applicants citing this as their main motivation. Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration along with Nefesh B’Nefesh has been working tirelessly to prepare for the integration of the Olim into Israeli society.
“We warmly welcome the many Olim who have decided to make Aliyah at this time,” said Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Ofir Sofer. “This is a choice of Jews from around the world, and especially from the U.S., to move to Israel as part of the greater Jewish story. We have worked extensively, over the last year, on numerous important programs which will assist Olim better integrate into Israel and plan to continue to make the Aliyah process as accessible as possible and enable many more Jews to come to the State of Israel.”
The government is not the only body helping with integration, according to new Olah, Hiller-Bersson. Her entire community has been helping her family settle into their new home. She noted that as soon as she arrived, neighbors came over to welcome her and even offered to come paint the house.
“It was like when you first get married and everyone keeps saying “Mazal tov,’” Hiller-Bersson, who made Aliyah from Teaneck, New Jersey, said. “The first two weeks we were shell shocked, our dream of moving to Israel came true.”
Hiller-Bersson noted that the community has been very accommodating, especially when it came to her kids. Her 20-year-old daughter is serving in the IDF while her two sons, 17 and 14, are starting high school.
“The school has been so helpful, translating everything and ensuring we don’t miss anything,” Hiller-Bersson said.
Hiller-Bersson’s sons were two of 510 new oleh children who started school in Israel on September 1. Of those students, 50 began first grade.
Israel’s new Olim have spread themselves across the country, making their homes in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, Ra’anana, and even in the north and south periphery.
Many of them are physicians, lawyers, accountants, software engineers, and nurses, all greatly needed professions in Israeli society. In fact, one of the important initiatives of Nefesh B’Nefesh was created in order to address Israel’s physician shortage and help medical professionals transfer their certifications and licenses so they can practice in Israel.
“People who come to live in Israel with these important skills can have a job waiting and get the satisfaction of helping their fellow countrymen,” said Marc Rosenberg, VP of Diaspora Partnerships of Nefesh B’Nefesh.
Hiller-Bersson, for example, is a geriatric psychotherapist who has submitted her application to transfer her license to Israel. In the meantime, she is working remotely with her patients in the U.S. Her husband, who runs a home care agency, has also coordinated his business to work remotely.
Yet, even with the support community and infrastructure to help Olim find their place in the community, moving to a new country is not without its challenges.
“There have been complications,” Hiller-Bersson said. “But we just take a big breath and remember that this isn’t America, we need to learn a new system. This is all part of the process.”
For others arriving or planning to make Aliyah in the future, Hiller-Bersson has a few pieces of advice.
“Whether you have friends or family here, it’s important to be connected,” she recommended. “Get in touch with the community you want to be a part of, and people can help you and guide you. Open yourself up to being flexible and adopting a positive outlook.”
Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel, Maj-Gen (res.) Doron Almog, welcomed the newcomers as well.
“Thousands of families of Olim have made Aliyah since October 7th. These newcomers are symbols of hope and the future, the promise of growth and prosperity,” Almog said. “Together with them, we will build a stronger and more powerful State of Israel. Every new flight of Olim arriving in Israel, continues to build the vision of the ingathering of exiles, adding new strength to the State of Israel, ‘the one and only miracle.’ The families and young Olim arriving in the midst of the war are a living example of unconditional love for the State of Israel. We embrace and welcome them with excitement and love.”