Nefesh B’Nefesh is an organization that helps people make aliyah. Loosely translated from Hebrew, the name of the organization means “Jewish souls united.”
And despite there being many challenges associated with moving to Israel right now, such as the ongoing war in Gaza, Jewish souls seem undeterred in their pursuit of taking up residency in the Jewish state.
The organization said on July 7 that there were more than 2,000 people expected to make aliyah in the subsequent weeks.
Ofir Sofer, Israel’s minister of aliyah and integration, explained that this dynamic is just part of what makes the world’s only Jewish state such a special place.
“In other countries, when there is war, people flee the country, but here, people come to the country. Our job is to welcome the immigrants, embrace them, and build the future of the country with them,” he said. “The immigrants who are arriving these days are real heroes. They strengthen the State of Israel, and we are committed to strengthening and integrating them, and we do this through assistance programs in employment, housing, studies, language acquisition, and integration into the community.”
Rabbi Noam Stein is the former principal of Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Lower Merion. He held that position from 2021 until June of this year. He gave it up to make aliyah. While many parents are the ones who make the leap, bringing their kids in tow, Stein and his wife, who lived in Merion Station, were actually inspired to move to Israel by their children.
“We made a serious attempt about 20 years ago, and didn’t end up doing it, and it was something we continued to think about all along, but we were always kind of worried that it wasn’t a good time to transition our kids to Israel, based on their ages,” he said. “And then about eight years ago, our older children, as they left the house, started making aliyah themselves.”
After the events of Oct. 7, Stein found himself with a newfound commitment to moving to Israel. Three of his children were there, with one in the army and another doing volunteer national service. The third is joining the Israel Defense Forces later this summer. Today, all seven of the Stein children, as well as their parents, live in Israel.
“We just felt like our kids did what we had always wanted to do, and it was time to follow them, and so about 14 months ago we formally made the decision and started making plans to move,” Stein said.
Stein has visited Israel many times, but upon getting off the plane on July 8 and setting foot in Israel as a resident, he said he felt happiness wash over him.
“In many ways, it felt like finally doing it the way that I should have been doing it all along,” he said. “It didn’t feel strange; it didn’t feel foreign. It felt very much like, ‘This is the natural way it should feel when a Jew comes home.’”
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, which works with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and the Jewish National Fund, said that the commitment to aliyah shown by Jews of the United States, Europe, South Africa and elsewhere shows that the Olim — the term for those making aliyah — understand the importance of the moment.
“The summer aliyah season is always a time of renewal and hope, but this year it carries added significance. Amidst one of the most historic times in Israel’s recent history, these individuals are choosing to come home,” he said. “It not only marks a personal milestone but also serves as a national statement, a powerful act of Jewish destiny. And I have no doubt that many will be inspired to follow their lead. We are honored to accompany these Olim as they solidify their dreams in our growing nation.”
For Stein, there are a number of moments that will be touching for him to experience as a first-time Israeli resident. However, perhaps none will mean more than a soon-to-be-held ceremony welcoming his son into the Israel Defense Forces.
“It’s a very big moment of pride. With my older son, I was not able to be [there] — partially because of distance, partially because of COVID — and so the fact that we’re going to be able to go there next week as locals, with all of our kids and other members of our family, and to be able to celebrate that milestone with him, as opposed to kind of hearing about it from afar, that’s really powerful for me,” Stein said.