Celebrating 15 Years of Aliyah with Nefesh B'Nefesh by Nefesh B'Nefesh

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4.

Greetings from President Reuven Rivlin

16. NBN by the Numbers

Greetings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

18. Over a Decade in Israel: Veteran Olim

Revolutionizing Aliyah

22 . 15 Years of Nefesh B'Nefesh in Photos

Bringing Families Together

NOA AMOUYAL

STEVE LINDE

26. Innovation and Opportunities in the Start-up Nation MICHAEL ZEFF and SARAH KANTOR

MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN

11. Female Lone Soldier Excels in the IDF

29. A Healing Aliyah

13. Tips for Parents of Lone Soldiers

32. First NBN Sabras Recreate Photo with Natan Sharansky

JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

MARION FISCHEL and SARAH KANTOR HADASSAH SABO MILNER

TAMARA ZIEVE

14. Israel's Frontier: Interview with JNF-USA’s Russell Robinson

34. The Bonei Zion Prize

JEREMY SHARON and DAFNA FARKAS

DANIELLE ZIRI

(Shahar Azran)

NEFESH B’NEFESH ISRAEL OFFICE Beit Ofer: 5 Nahum Hefzadi Street Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, 9548401 Israel Tel: 02-659-5800 Fax: 02-659-5701 North America: 1-866-4-Aliyah United Kingdom: 0800-075-7200

www.nbn.org.il

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RONIT HASIN-HOCHMAN, CEO, The Jerusalem Post Group YAAKOV KATZ, Editor-in-Chief KARIN EVEN-HAIM, Manager of Business Development Cover: COURTESY/NEFESH B'NEFESH

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Magazine Editor: STEVE LINDE Copy Editors: SARAH KANTOR, LAWRENCE RIFKIN, BENJAMIN GLATT Graphics: DANIELA MICHAL GLEISER, KIYOSHI INOUE, BARBARA ANDRIEUX Nefesh B’Nefesh PR Director: YAEL KATSMAN

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(Shahar Azran)

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Revolutionizing Aliyah An Interview with Nefesh B’Nefesh Co-Founders Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart • By STEVE LINDE

ince Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart co-founded Nefesh B’Nefesh in 2002, the organization has brought more than 50,000 Olim to Israel. They spoke to The Jerusalem Post about how they revolutionized Aliyah – and their dreams for the future.

TONY GELBART AND RABBI YEHOSHUA FASS welcome Olim at Ben-Gurion Airport.

house to greet Rabbi Fass one Shabbat morning, I was immediately inspired and moved by the compelling story of his cousin being murdered by a suicide bomber in Israel and how he wanted to do something in his honor. We then took a long walk and he told me he wanted to make Aliyah and that he might know “a few more people” who wanted to move as well. He wanted to make it as easy as possible for everyone who shared that similar dream, and needed some connections to help make it happen. I asked him for 24 hours to think about how I could help. NBN, to me, is a business with a heart. We managed to identify that there was a great need to help Jews make Aliyah, and after looking at all the challenges, we managed to effect change, improve the system, and indeed help over 50,000 Olim to date.

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2. What do you see as your greatest achievements? Fass: We are extremely proud that Aliyah has become a central part of conversations in Jewish communities across North America – which may H • TH E FES USALE JER

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(Shahar Azran)

1. What inspired you to found Nefesh B’Nefesh? Fass: My wife and I always had the intention to make Aliyah, but our plans never seemed to concretize. However, in 2001, when a family member was tragically killed in a suicide bombing in Israel, his death and our subsequent attempt to come to terms with the loss were the catalyst for our decision to finally move and try our best to help develop our country. When sharing my feelings about Aliyah with friends and colleagues, I began to hear echoes of similar ambitions. We shared a dream, but many people feared that the practical and economic challenges of making Aliyah were too difficult to overcome. Listening to their concerns, I started to understand why North American Aliyah was so stagnant. People had legitimate concerns, but I began to wonder: What would happen if these issues could be alleviated? Working together with Tony Gelbart, a successful businessman and philanthropist living in my community, we started to sketch a plan for developing an organization that would address the specific challenges of North American Jews making Aliyah. We felt that if people had the proper resources and guidance, these obstacles could be overcome, and North American Aliyah would start to grow. This in essence, was the beginning of Nefesh B’Nefesh. Gelbart: When I opened the door of my

be the direct result of the dramatic change of the North American Aliyah retention rate. Since we founded Nefesh B’Nefesh, we have managed to increase the retention rate from 60% to over 90%. Olim are telling their family and friends back “home” they are happy and doing well in Israel which transmits optimism and thoughts of others following in their footsteps. Aliyah has become part of the mainstream across all Jewish affiliations. In addition, the Israeli bureaucracy has often been daunting for newcomers. We have managed to revolutionize the Aliyah process, together with various Israeli governmental ministries and the Jewish Agency, and create special systems which expedite the process and enable Olim to hit the ground running upon arrival in Israel. Gelbart: We went into this with the goal to make the process easier, and we’ve accomplished that. When we look at our Olim we truly believe that “their success is our success.” From my perspective, just staying in Israel is the starting point, but the contribution

4. How has NBN’s mission changed over the years? Gelbart: Our mission hasn’t changed! We are here to help as many Jews as possible make Aliyah in as seamless a fashion as possible. Fass: I agree with Tony. Our mission hasn’t really changed. However, we really needed to develop a diverse service portfolio which provides individual care and service to each and every type of Oleh so that their needs are met. We are also continuously exploring ways of connecting to our North American audience as current events, and trends constantly impact the IsraelUS connection and the ever-changing interest in Aliyah. What has changed over the years organizationally is the development of flagship programs such as: Go North, Go South, the NBN Physician Fellowship and our Lone Soldiers Program.

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TONY GELBART AND RABBI YEHOSHUA FASS. 'Our challenge is to inspire and empower this generation to develop and maintain a palpable connection to the State of Israel.'

We need to ensure we have financial sustainability, as well as the ability to expand to other countries which have been requesting our services. We are at a tipping point in Israel’s history. Now more than ever, Israel’s vibrant economy and multinational corporations need human resources to propel into an economic superpower. We need likeminded partners who share our values, understand the vital role Nefesh B’Nefesh plays in Israel and North America, and are committed to dedicating their time and financial resources to this one-of-a kind venture and sacred mission on behalf of the Jewish people. 6. What is your own personal dream for the future of NBN? Fass: To see a steady, exponential increase in North American and British Jewry, Olim and their families thriving in Israel, becoming ambassadors for Aliyah and Israel, and to achieve excellence in our pre and post Aliyah programming. Gelbart: To expand and replicate the model of Nefesh B’Nefesh Aliyah to more countries around the world. I hope we can have the honor of helping more Jews from all over the world (and not just North America and the UK). 

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5. What do you see as the main challenges facing you today? Fass: We are living in wondrous times. We are interacting with a generation of Jews who were born into a world with a strong and vibrant State of Israel, without historical memory of a time when this didn’t exist. They never experienced a visit to Israel where access to the Western Wall was prohibited. Theodor Herzl’s declaration that “If you will it, it is no dream” is not a vintage concept – it is still very relevant and we must constantly bring it to the attention of this generation in a way that engages them both personally and professionally. Our challenge is to inspire and empower this generation to develop and maintain a palpable connection to the State of Israel. We need their energy, passion, and ingenuity to accept the challenge and to propel Israel, and the Jewish people into the future. Gelbart: Nefesh B’Nefesh has achieved a lot but there is much more for us to do.

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3. What, for you personally, was the most moving moment in the past 15 years? Fass: There have been so many that it’s actually hard to choose just one. Some of my most favorite have been conducting sheva brachot for a newly married couple at 10,000 feet above the Atlantic (with guitars and dancing); NBN’s first Aliyah charter flight - which was also the day my family made Aliyah; summer 2005 was definitely an incredible summer as we managed to simultaneously land three Aliyah flights - from the US, Canada and UK – at once; multiple generations making Aliyah together; a Holocaust survivor holding the hand of a 9-year old Oleh while disembarking in Israel… and many, many more memories. Gelbart: For me, the most moving moments are the ones that set the Jewish people apart. The perseverance, at the most difficult of times, to continue and push forward. During Operation Protective Edge, when most people would run away from fire and danger, getting out of the way of rockets, we had a planeload of people run to Israel. We saw this during the Intifada, during the Second Lebanon War, we as a people continued the forward momentum. I’ve had the unique experience of seeing prime ministers and senior government officials come and greet a plane of new immigrants; people of that caliber arriving at a big ceremony just doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world. Watching the whole country come together for Olim and Aliyah has been humbling. The mosaic of society I’ve seen, from different political affiliations, and religious backgrounds, all coming together to both make Aliyah and to greet the new Olim

and welcome them home, has been profound. There is a sense of national unity through Aliyah that cannot be witnessed anywhere else.

of our Olim takes it to the next level. We have Oleh soldiers protecting our country, Oleh teachers educating our children, Oleh doctors healing Israelis and Olim setting down roots and growing their families in this country. It is beyond what we could have imagined.

(Tova Cohen)

THE EXTENDED Cohen family celebrates their grandfather's birthday at an Israeli winery.

Bringing Families Together How three families reunited in the Jewish state

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or a dozen years, Tova Cohen dreamed of living in Israel. She was the first member of her immediate family to plan her Aliyah. Through high school, undergraduate and graduate school, Cohen, 26, kept Israel at the forefront. “I was never fully committed to anything in the States and it always felt like something was lacking,” she says. “Every action I took, it always came back to Israel and keeping the dream alive. I just wasn’t ready yet.” Until recently. On December 28, 2016, Cohen made Aliyah, becoming the last member of her immediate family to move to Israel. The oldest of four siblings, Tova first

connected with Israel through Camp Moshava Indian Orchard. Later, she spent five weeks in Israel through Bnei Akiva’s Mach Hach Ba’Aretz. And finally, between high school and college she studied at Jerusalem’s Midreshet Lindenbaum. Tova was always finding a way to visit the country and she talked about Israel so often that her immediate family “blames” her for giving them the Israel fever, too. “Israel is contagious,” she admits. So virulent, in fact, that one by one, her family members started to make Aliyah themselves. First, her brother Meir, now 22, moved in 2014 and joined the IDF. Then brother Natan, 24, moved to Israel and entered a rabbinic program. Finally, parents Joel and Pearl and

• By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN

sister Sara moved in September 2016. Now the entire family is reunited in Jerusalem. Her 84-year-old grandfather, Donald Cohen, made Aliyah nine months before she did. “It’s surreal,” says Cohen. “You dream about something for so many years and now you’re here – wow!” Tova is the family’s modern-day pioneer, but she is not the only Cohen who dreamed of Israel. Tova’s uncle, Kenny Cohen, made Aliyah almost 23 years ago with his wife, Rachel, and their then four children. Today, they live in Efrat and have six children and four grandchildren. Tova’s other uncle, Barry Cohen, made Aliyah two years after Kenny. He met his wife in Israel and today lives in Rehovot.

brother who came here as a single boy, or my 84-year-old grandpa, who basically started over even at his age – the fact that they are all able to do it, gives me confidence to know I can make it,” she says. “Now, I can create my own line of Cohens here in Israel.”

(Ben Kelmer)

THE COHEN family upon Tova’s arrival to Israel.

“We are all very happy,” says Donald of his sons and daughterin-laws, 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. “I am in the right place.” Cohen says looking at her family helps her realize one can make a life in Israel at any age or stage. “Whether it is my uncle who came here with young children, or my

"It’s surreal. You dream about something for so many years and now you’re here – wow!

(Noa Choritz)

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NOA CHORITZ with her family.

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While Kenny says he never envisioned his older brother, Joel, moving to Israel, Joel was always extremely encouraging. “When I got the Israel bug, Joel said, ‘Follow your dreams. Don’t worry, Mom and Dad will understand and be happy for you,’” recalls Kenny. “My family was very conservative and didn’t do a lot of off-the-beatentrack things,” says Kenny, who was brought up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “A move to Israel was really radical. I pursued my own dream and I never envisioned my parents coming. My brother Joel was living in New York and I just was not sure that his dream was the same as my dream. “But I guess I always hoped my family would come.” Grandfather Donald says that after his wife died, he started to think about what is really important in life and he came to the conclusion that it’s family. As such, with two sons already living in Israel and a third with one leg already in the Holy Land, he decided to leave an 80-year history in Milwaukee for Israel. Now, he spends every Shabbat and holiday with one of his children’s families.

Success Breeds Success Tova’s dreams are already a reality for another young woman, Noa Choritz of Efrat. Choritz moved to Israel on her own in 2002. In the past 15 years, she married and had three children. She also completed her nursing degree. Choritz says she was not raised in a particularly Zionist home – “it just wasn’t part of our family’s conversations.” Nonetheless, within years of her making Aliyah, two of her sisters and her parents moved to Israel. Her parents live in Jerusalem’s Arnona neighborhood. The two sisters moved across from one another in the nearby Armon HaNatziv neighborhood. 

she was being connected with in Brooklyn didn’t fit the bill, she spent the summers of 2012 and 2014 dating in Israel. On the second week of her second summer, she met her spouse. Kohn made Aliyah in May 2014. Finally, two years later, in August 2016, Krausz moved her family to the Jewish state. Now, the daughters live together with their parents in Beit Shemesh. The Goldman’s son lives in Jerusalem. Krausz said she and her husband were careful not to opt for Aliyah

in order to be closer to her family. Rather, they weighed what was best for their four sons. However, when they did make the decision to immigrate, Krausz says she took full advantage of having family who had been there and done that. “I am able to rely on them to ask all of my questions. Like when I am in the supermarket and all I want is Fantastic [cleaning spray], or I just want to know, do they not sell parsnips in Israel?” quips Krausz. “I tried to get away and they just kept following me,” says Podolski with a laugh, smiling affectionately at her family. Goldman is a pleased patriarch. He says he loves that he has his family, and the land of Israel, too. “I always try to remember my primary motivation for moving here is spiritual growth,” says Goldman. “There is no place like Israel for a connection to the Jewish people, and it has proven itself beyond my wildest expectations.” He continues, “In the three years I have been here, I have grown more  than in the 30 years prior.”

(Amy Krausz)

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it is normal to be Jewish and that this is their homeland. We go on trips where we can see and reenact parts of the Torah portion – this is not something you can do in the United States or anywhere else.

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“No Place Like Israel” Shari and Joe Goldman would likely agree with Choritz. The Goldmans made Aliyah from Brooklyn in November 2013. At that time, they had a son and one daughter living in Israel. Today, their other two daughters and their families are living in Israel, too. The total Goldman clan: 13 people. The Goldmans fell in love with each other and the land of Israel during a gap-year program. They always wanted to come back to Israel, but life got in the way. Nonetheless, their children say their parents’ enthusiasm for the Jewish state was infused in their household. Alana Kohn, who was the second daughter to make Aliyah, says she knew she wanted to live in Israel so badly that she wouldn’t date anyone who wasn’t committed to the Jewish state. When she realized the men

"Children grow up here thinking

“My youngest is two weeks older than one cousin and five months younger than another,” says Choritz. “They play together, share clothes – it is just so nice.” But even though Choritz loves and was always close with her family, she says she was careful not to sugar coat or overly encourage Aliyah. Rather, she led by example and demonstrated the value of living in a Jewish state until her family members came to the decision on their own. “This is the right place to raise Jewish children,” says Choritz. “Children grow up here thinking it is normal to be Jewish and that this is their homeland. We go on trips where we can see and reenact part of the Torah portion – this is not something you can do in the United States or anywhere else.” Choritz admits that back in 2002, “people thought I was crazy for moving to Israel.” However, she believes that in recent years, Nefesh B’Nefesh has “normalized North American Aliyah,” making it easier for anyone from the States who wants to move to Israel. “Success breeds success,” says Choritz.

Female Lone Soldier Excels in the IDF

Manhattan-born Abigail Blas says she’s "proud to be serving in the army" (Abigail Blas)

ST.-SGT ABIGAIL BLAS:

Looking back, it has been a big accomplishment.

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She says that when she told her parents, they weren’t surprised. “They knew that this was something I had always wanted to do,” she states. “They were not given the opportunity that I had, at age 18, to start my life in a new country and really follow my own dream.” Blas explains that she made Aliyah directly to Kibbutz Beit Rimon in the Lower Galilee, sent there by Garin Tzabar, a Lone Soldier program for new immigrants. “From the very first moment, Nefesh B’Nefesh was very helpful,” she says. “We went to seminars in the spring before making Aliyah, and they helped me join Garin Tzabar.” When asked about her thoughts regarding the IDF, she says it is amazing. “Our army 

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one Soldier Abigail Blas, 22, has been a dedicated, energetic and caring commander in the IDF Artillery Corps. In addition to leading a team of soldiers entrusted with the protection of Israel’s citizens, Blas, who reached the rank of staff sergeant, is a born-and-bred New Yorker. She says she is very proud to be serving in the army. “I feel like I am contributing to the country and helping to ensure Israel’s safety.” She always wanted to make Aliyah, even though she was unsure about when the right time would be. “We always talked about Israel at home and I knew Jews were meant to live in Israel.” Blas says that she always thought

about Israel and was preparing herself for the eventual move from a very young age. “Even before kindergarten, I asked my dad to teach me Hebrew and continued to learn the language throughout grade school.” She visited Israel regularly throughout her childhood and attended local summer camps which kept her connection to the land strong. Growing up in the United States, Abigail saw Nefesh B’Nefesh ads for mak¬ing Aliyah. As a high-school senior, she met with a representative of the organization “to discuss what the process involved and when would be the best time to make Aliyah.” But it was while she was on her MASA Israel gap-year program at Midreshet Ein Hanatziv, near Beit She’an, that she made up her mind.

• By MARION FISCHEL and SARAH KANTOR

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ABIGAIL BLAS in uniform.

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(Abigail Blas)

for Shabbat – I always have a place to stay.” As a Lone Soldier, Blas says she has missed out on advantages her fellow Israeli-born soldiers have, such as a mother’s hug upon returning from base, home cooking and someone to do her laundry. “I come home on weekends and I don’t have my parents there to talk to about my week – I only see them once or twice a year” she explains. Nevertheless, she appreciates the assistance she received from the NBN – FIDF Lone Soldiers Program and Garin Tzabar whose dedicated staff were there to support her through her IDF journey as well as the moral support of friends and officers. “Additionally, I have a natural support group. I live with ten other Lone Soldiers whose week looks just like mine, who are going through the same challenges and are expe¬riencing similar army stories,” she says. Blas also misses her older brother and younger sisters. “It is not easy,” she says. “My siblings and I went almost two years without the four of us being in the same place at the same time.” Even from afar, however, they are very encouraging. “They love coming to my ceremonies, and they are so proud when they tell their friends about me,” she says. “Even friends of theirs who don’t know ask how I am, and particularly during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, they were worried about me and very interested in my wellbeing.” Last Thanksgiving, Blas found an original way to have dinner with her entire family. “I Skyped with my family as they sat enjoying their turkey dinner,” she says. “I couldn’t help feeling a little sad that I was sitting on my bed on base, in uni¬form, but I am extraordinarily lucky to have a family who supports me and is proud of me, and always has my back.” Once her service ends, she plans to “work and travel a bit, and then get a degree in Israel – just like any other Israeli.” Although a little wistful at the prospect of moving on, she is also “very excited to start civilian life after twoand-a-half years.” “Looking back,” she says, “it has been  a tremendous accomplishment.”

is really strong and the soldiers are extremely dedicated. For me, serving has been an important experience. It chang-ed me and I think I’ve matured and learned a lot about myself.” Her decision to become a commander evolved during her service. She gained the experience and confidence to pursue her dreams and assume greater responsibilities within the IDF. “I did regular combat training [for eight months], and then commander’s training,” she explains. “When I drafted, I didn’t anticipate becoming a commander, but as I progressed through my training I realized there was more I could achieve.” With only a few months until she is discharged, Blas says, “It’s amazing how the whole country really loves soldiers. People on the street tell you kol hakavod [good job] and be safe.” She notes that, particularly for Lone Soldiers, “Israelis are so welcoming. They invite you over even if they don’t know you. People invite you

NBN-FIDF Lone Soldiers Program

he Nefesh B’Nefesh Lone Soldiers Program, in cooperation with Friends of the IDF (FIDF), provides a holistic approach to supporting every Lone Soldier, from across the world, as they work towards a successful life as an Oleh, IDF soldier, and Israeli citizen. There are currently 3,000 Lone Soldier immigrants serving in a range of positions in the army without close family living in Israel. For these soldiers, it is a time that is often accompanied by difficulties in becoming acclimated to military service and an independent lifestyle in Israel, although it is most certainly an empowering experience. The goal of the program is to support these Lone Soldiers with all the resources and guidance necessary for a successful IDF service and post-army life in Israel. All its activities are complementary to the IDF’s care of its Lone Soldiers. For more information: www.nbn.org.il

Tips for Parents of Lone Soldiers • By HADASSAH SABO MILNER

(Shahar Azran)

HADASSAH SABO MILNER gives her son a pre-flight blessing.

efesh B’Nefesh, together with EL AL, is subsidizing tickets for parents of Lone Soldiers whose financial limitations would otherwise prevent them from participating in their child’s army ceremonies. Additionally, LSP staff is available around the clock for any parent inquiries and support: lonesoldierparent@nbn.org.il

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for sure, the more explosive the better. (Yes, I sound very nonchalant about it – it’s taken me a long while to get there). He got into the unit of his choice, as did his younger brother. By the time #3 told me he was making Aliyah, I knew he’d be following in his brothers’ footsteps. A few months after Aliyah, it suddenly becomes more real. You see the photos of them in uniform on their first day in the army, hair freshly shorn, their baby-faced cheeks fuzzfree, and you cry, because let’s face it, out here in the Diaspora, this isn’t how we thought we’d ever see our children. And you cry, because you’re scared. And you cry because you are so very proud that your child has put their homeland and their people ahead of themselves. How on earth do you deal with it all? 1. Turn off news bulletins If there is something you need to know about your soldier, you will find out. 2. Use WhatsApp on your smartphone It is the #1 way I communicate with my soldiers. 3. Join an IDF parent support group online There’s always someone there to offer an ear, support, help, advice, and just to hold your hand when missing your child is just so painful.

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s I write this, it’s been six months exactly since my third child made Aliyah – he’s waiting to be drafted to the IDF. Three-and-ahalf years since the first left, he’s now an officer, having been serving for almost three years. Two-and-a-half years since the second made Aliyah, he’s now a combat engineer, having been in the army for about 15 months at this point. So I think I may be a little bit more knowledgeable than I was four years ago. From the moment your child tells you s/he is making Aliyah, your worldview changes. If your plans for your child were different, you need to adjust accordingly. Hopefully, you are a supportive parent and welcome this new direction. And if not, you will get there. Be patient with yourself – it is really a huge adjustment. But the whole “making-Aliyah-asa-young-person” deal includes army service, and that takes a lot more adjustment than just knowing your child will be living thousands of miles away from you. Supportive and loving as you are, the whole military issue is a scary thing. Because it isn’t toy soldiers with toy guns, it’s real uniforms and real risks. When my oldest informed me at 13 that he belonged in Israel, I took it with a grain of salt. He was standing at the Kotel at the time, at the most holy place in the world, and as a very spiritual child I figured he was moved way more than he expected. So this was his comment. But over his teenage years it didn’t change, and then he was 17 and filling out the Aliyah forms. Soon he was planning which program he wanted to join, and what unit he wanted to be in. It wasn’t long before he was on his plane winging his way toward his future. He studied in ulpan and then started the army process. He wanted to be in combat,

4. Set a call-time with your soldier When you have a scheduled phone call, even if it’s just for five seconds, it gives you both something to look forward to – sometimes all they need to hear is their mom/dad saying “I love you.” 5. Educate yourself Learn as much as you can about the army – the process of drafting, the different units, the army vocabulary. 6. Be patient and strong Remember, this is the path they chose. We need to be there for them. Listen and be loving. That’s what they need. 7. Ignore the haters You cannot let the negative comments get to you. Your stock answer needs to be: “We support them. We’re very proud.” 8. Start saving up for your trip There are many ceremonies – in the army and family and friends show up for most of them. There is no prouder moment a parent can have than watching their son or daughter take part in their oath of service or watch them as they finish a strenuous period of training. I could go on and on. But the one thing I have learned is that we parents are the proudest parents in the universe. Reach out to other parents – you are not alone and you don’t have to be! The writer is a coffee-drinking, sleepdeprived, Welsh-born New York mom of four sons, three living in Israel and serving  in the IDF.

Israel’s Frontier "Our enemies worry about Olim as much as they are concerned with the country’s military strength," says CEO of the Jewish National Fund-USA Russell Robinson • By DANIELLE ZIRI

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RUSSELL ROBINSON: "The new frontier is about the future of Israel."

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looked at North American Aliyah as, ‘I can’t believe you are moving... what is wrong with you?’ Fass and Gelbart came to the JNF and said, ‘We believe. Will you believe with us?’” At that time, JNF had already taken that leap. “We were raising money for recycled water, bringing 500,000 people to the Negev and changing the conversation on Zionism to a positive affirmation and real engagement,” Robinson says. “Nefesh B’Nefesh’s vision was adding to that conversation.” But promoting Aliyah from North America as an organization, Robinson recalls, was deemed dangerous by many in the Jewish world, who thought people simply would not join the venture. “The Jewish National Fund raised the flag together with Nefesh B’Nefesh and was proud to be on the very first flights,” he says. “We H • TH E FES USALE JER

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(JNF-USA)

en or 20 years ago, no one would speak about Aliyah from North America. Israel was a place for exiles, Jews that had no place to call home,” CEO of the Jewish National Fund-USA Russell Robinson tells The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview. “Today, through Nefesh B’Nefesh, that has changed and the conversation about Israel has changed.” Robinson, a sixth-generation American Jew who has been involved in Jewish organizational life for over 40 years, became the youngest CEO of JNF in 1998. The organization credits him for making it one of the most recognized non-profits in the Jewish world and beyond. Thanks to Nefesh B’Nefesh, Robinson says, “Israel is no longer a land of the exiles, but a land, a place, where Jews want to be and want to call home.” JNF and Nefesh B’Nefesh’s stories, he explains, are very much intertwined. The two groups have worked closely together over the years in making Israel an attractive place to live. Tony Gelbart and Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, who co-founded Nefesh B’Nefesh, approached JNFUSA several years ago and their partnership was born in 2013. The alliance’s goal is to develop the land of Israel in general and particularly communities in the periphery, in order to attract more North American Olim. “They believed the moment was right to begin to promote moving to Israel, and it should not be a burden, but an opportunity and celebration,” Robinson says. “Nobody had ever attempted this before. Everybody

are proud to be the fund-raising mechanism for Nefesh B’Nefesh in North America.” Today, JNF-USA and Nefesh B’Nefesh are focusing on what they believe is necessary for tomorrow’s Israel to thrive: bringing thousands of new Olim to the North and South of Israel rather than to the central area, with their Go North campaign and Blueprint Negev initiative. The periphery, Robinson believes, is “Israel’s new frontier.” “The new frontier is about the future of Israel,” he says. “Sixty percent of the land of Israel is the Negev; 17% of the land of Israel is the Galilee. “To make the Galilee and the Negev part of all of Israel by increasing its population size we need to create the opportunities that will allow a strong presence to move there – that remains our vision and commitment,” he explains. At the beginning of the State of Israel, Robinson points out, Olim were sent to the North and South, not because they were the places they wanted to live in, but because they were the places where Israel needed them to live. “Everyone realized that population makes land ownership a reality,” he says. “Today, Olim are not coming from countries because they have to leave. They come because they want to live in Israel, and we want them to live in the Negev and Galilee because that is where we need them to live.” Robinson, whose own daughter moved from the US to Israel and now lives in Tel Aviv, believes the influx of Olim to Israel each year is proof of the unity of the Jewish people. “The strength, pride and unity of the Jewish people is in the picture

(Michael Alvarez-Pereyre)

Go North & Go South A historic partnership between JNF-USA, KKL and Nefesh B’Nefesh to build Israel’s periphery

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hostages, boycotts and many others. Throughout all we have prevailed,” Robinson says. “There are great challenges that we still face today, but the spirit of the Jewish people has always risen to those challenges in a unified way. Not because we agree with each other on all the issues, but because we agree with each other that the world is a better place because we are in it,” he adds. “We need each other not because of threats of war, but because of our shared values and a shared destiny. We are no longer the Jews who can be easily silenced.” The global character of today’s world, he explains, allows American Jews and Jews from all over the world, wherever they live, to build Israel together. “We are the greatest builders in the world,” he says. “Builders of life, and of peace. Nefesh B’Nefesh and the JNF-USA are two key components in making that vision and building together.” 

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of a flight arriving, the plane door opening, and people stepping out, not with a backpack, but with all of their possessions, on the soil of Israel to begin their life anew in a land that we call the nation of the Jewish people.” At a time when Israel faces many challenges, Aliyah and Nefesh B’Nefesh’s work, Robinson states, is key for the future of the Jewish state. “Our enemies worry about the numbers of people making Aliyah, as much as they are concerned with Israel’s military strength,” he says. “Let’s let those fears our enemies hold instead translate as a source of pride that breathes life from the Diaspora into Israel through Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Jewish National Fund.” Challenges, he points out, were always an intrinsic part of the country’s life throughout its 68 years of existence. “Terrorism, the blowing up of buses, hijacking of airplanes, the taking of Israeli and Jewish

efesh B’Nefesh’s Go North & Go South programs are unprecedented initiatives aimed at infusing Israel’s periphery with skilled, idealistic and talented Olim. The programs aim to encourage Olim who are drawn to Israel’s northern or southern communities by providing employment mentoring and placement, social programming, community advisement, educational resources and close contact with regional staff. These services are designed to ease the transition to Israel’s periphery by creating the conditions for seamless professional and social integration. 7,000 Olim have made Aliyah to date to Israel’s frontier through NBN's Go North and Go South programs, in cooperation with the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael Jewish National Fund, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Immigration and Absorption Ministry and the Negev and Galilee Development Authorities.

Over a Decade in Israel: Veteran Olim From medicine to hi-tech to stand-up comedy, three Nefesh B'Nefesh immigrants grab a slice of the Zionist dream and don't look back • By NOA AMOUYAL

s anyone who has made Aliyah knows, there are a myriad of journeys that lead one to the promised land. There’s the bright-eyed kid out of college looking to join the army, the young couple with a family hoping to start a new life, or a child who arrives there and sees how Israel comes to shape who they are, what they want to become. The one thing they have in common, despite the different challenges and expectations, is the desire to carve a place for themselves in the Holy Land. The Jerusalem Post spoke with three people who personify Aliyah success and were able to do just that.

JANINE KUTLIROFF poses with her family during her son, Zechariah's (second from the

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left), Bar Mitzvah in Israel. Seen from left to right: Akiva, Michael, Janine, Gershom, Avigayil, front row Meirav. H • TH E FES USALE JER

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(Janine Kutliroff)

Janine Kutliroff – A hi-tech maven with an intrepid spirit Aliyah: July 2002 Unlike many who are bitten by the Aliyah bug, Janine Kutliroff had a delayed reaction to fully embracing the Holy Land. “My husband was definitely the driving force in our Aliyah,” Kutliroff begins, explaining how her husband Gershon often spoke fondly about moving to Israel when they attended grad school together at Columbia University. “I met my husband who did talk a lot about Israel, but I didn’t really understand how serious he was about it at the time,” she says. After school, in 2002, the Kutliroff’s and their three children embarked on their Aliyah journey, courtesy of Nefesh B’Nefesh. At the time, Kutliroff attributes

(Guy Mayer)

THE MAYER family happily pose with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2003 as they disembark from their Nefesh B’Nefesh flight. the importance of embracing Hebrew. “I feel so moved by being able to be a contributor in a society where we are strong, with our own land and sovereignty,” she says. “I feel not only happy to live here in terms of my lifestyle but proud to be part of the nation of Israel.” Dr. Guy Mayer - A Zionist with a healing touch Aliyah: July 2003 Guy Mayer is a glass half-full kind of guy. In 2003, when he and his wife decided to take a leap of faith that would change their lives forever and make Aliyah, Mayer was informed of one serious snag 

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midst of the Second Intifada. “Listen, I’m not a fighter, I can’t do anything in the army, I don’t have kids here, but I can help create employment opportunities in a very hard economic downturn,” she recalls him saying. Kutliroff then helped him get his Israeli operation off the ground. “I believe we were able to help a lot of Olim stay here,” she says of her time with IDT. In fact, for a woman who started anew with a young family, it seems as if the language barrier was the main challenge for Kutliroff at the onset of her Aliyah. For those considering moving, she knows everybody is bound to face different challenges, but she stresses

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the move to her adventurous spirit. Having only come to Israel twice before, Kutliroff openly acknowledges she didn’t know much about what would be her new home. “I knew nothing about the country, I was nervous all around,” she says. “But, I’m a spirited person. [My husband] could have said, ‘Let’s move to Japan, and I probably would have.’” However, over time, Kutliroff’s attitude began to shift. Now, 15 years later, her transformation to a full-blown Zionist is complete. “My husband always jokes that the family made Aliyah in 2002 and I made Aliyah in 2008 in my mind,” she chuckles. “The way I feel today is 180 degrees different than what I felt back then.” So why the switch? Janine attributes seeing Israel through her children’s eyes, as they grew older, to creating a love of the country that is now deeply ingrained. “Over the years, watching my kids grow and experience how tightly life and Judaism are intertwined here, I just grew more and more attached,” she says. She is also grateful that in Israel, practicing Judaism is not an inconvenience. Kutliroff looks back at her years on Wall Street, where she had to rush out the door on Friday afternoons to prepare for Shabbat. What other colleagues deemed a luxury - “Oh, she gets to go home early,” - Kutliroff saw as stress on top of stress. It helps, of course, that the Kutliroffs created a mini hi-tech empire of their own here in Israel and she carved out a niche of the start-up nation for herself. As founder and CEO of Omek Interactive - a company that develops advanced motion detecting software for human-computer interaction - Kutliroff has had not only a personally fulfilling Aliyah journey, but a professional one as well. She began her Israeli hi-tech career with IDT, a New Jersey based telecommunications company. She had met with the company’s CEO who wanted to show a sign of solidarity with the Israeli people as they were in the

“Just do it,” he says unequivocally. “Don’t try to find 800 reasons why not to. You do it and then you’ll see that things often tend to work out.” He does caution those considering Aliyah to carefully plan out what kind of career trajectory they envision for themselves while here. “You have to plan that out ahead of time as much as possible,” he advises. Finding an appropriate community to settle in, is also key. Surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals is essential to having a strong support mechanism when the Aliyah experience poses challenges. Mayer also made sure his children would immerse themselves in Israeli culture and history, so much so that only Israeli radio stations were

(Benji Lovitt)

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remind myself I made the right choice,” Lovitt says of his Aliyah journey. The comedian stands in front of the arrival terminal at Ben-Gurion Airport on the day of his Aliyah 10 years ago. H • TH E FES USALE JER

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it came to getting his medical license here - as a lifesaver. “Without Nefesh B’Nefesh, it would have taken longer,” he says of the Aliyah process, and acknowledges that moving his children to Israel when they were any older would have been problematic. “It would have been harder for them to learn the language and integrate and we wanted to avoid that,” he adds. Of the flight itself, Mayer remembers it as a “surreal” experience where he met the who’s who of Israeli politics – PM Benjamin Netanyahu, former PM Ariel Sharon and then Foreign Minister Tzipi Livini. The Aliyah process is not all roses, Mayer admits, but offers some advice to those considering taking the plunge.

- he would have to spend a year as an intern until his medical certification was recognized in Israel. As an experienced doctor of internal medicine from New York, the year meant making very little and doing work differently from what he was accustomed to. In retrospect, however, Mayer sees that year as one of opportunity. He got his medical Hebrew up to snuff and most importantly - due to serendipitous circumstances he nabbed the job of his dreams: being a doctor for an elite unit in the IDF. Due to security reasons, Mayer is deliberately vague about whom he treats but it’s clear that the soldiers under his care are not doing trivial work. “I realized a dream. I’m happier now working as a doctor in Israel than I ever was in Brooklyn.” “In the army I’m treating the elite of our young soldiers - the cream. It’s a very special thing for me, something that I obviously could never have done if I stayed in America.” As a doctor in Israel, Mayer wears two hats. In addition to treating elite IDF soldiers, he also specializes in internal medicine at a Maccabi health fund clinic in Modi’in – an aspect of his job he values just as much as his work with the IDF. “In Maccabi, I’m treating people who are from my neighborhood. I run into them when I go to the mall - and I love that,” he says of the everybody knows everybody aspect that becomes part and parcel of living in the Holy Land. With his wife and four children in tow, Mayer realized a childhood dream when he embarked on Nefesh B’Nefesh’s second charter flight. On his first trip to Israel at 10 years old, he marveled at the idea of a Jewish State. “I fell in love with the idea that there could be a place where everybody is Jewish - the bus driver, the garbage collector, everyone,” he says wistfully. “It was a child’s love of Israel.” Mayer credits NBN for making the biggest transformation of his life a smooth one. He cites their help with delving into the morass that is bureaucracy in Israel - especially when

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A BRIDGE FOR OLIM

efesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Immigrant Absorption, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF-USA, has revitalized the Aliyah process making the idea of moving to Israel a realistic option for many. The organization acts as a bridge between Olim and the government offices and public authorities involved in Aliyah and absorption, focusing on representing the interests of Olim and solving specific bureaucratic issues. As part of its efforts to minimize the bureaucracy and streamline the Aliyah process, NBN has revolutionized the Aliyah process by using advanced technologies and systems that were created together with Israel’s Ministry of Interior. Aliyah is now efficient and streamlined and the process has been significantly expedited to best service its Olim. The organization runs a comprehensive set of tailormade events and workshops, throughout North America and the UK, to give those interested in making Aliyah an opportunity to receive personalized information, guidance, practical tools and inspiration about the process of making Israel home. Dedicated to making each Oleh, and every Aliyah, a success, NBN helps ensure new arrivals acclimate, integrate and thrive in Israel through comprehensive post-Aliyah support. A dynamic online job board assists Olim in search of employment by connecting them with Israeli companies seeking quality, English-speaking, employees.

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Benji Lovitt – A funny man who found his way home Aliyah: August 2006 Anglos have certainly contributed much to Israel, but Lovitt’s added value is unique and universal: humor. Lovitt, who was born in Dallas, Texas is now celebrating 10 years of Aliyah. He is wildly popular in Israel and abroad for communicating the Aliyah experience to both Anglos and Israelis alike through his standup comedy. His love affair with the country started on a Young Judaea trip when he was 15. He visited several times before finally deciding to make Aliyah in the midst of the Second Lebanon War. During this time his outlet was writing, and he launched his blog called, “What War Zone???” Most people don’t naturally associate war, learning Hebrew, and Aliyah with big laughs, but Lovitt’s message resonated with Olim and Israelis alike. “I started blogging about how I thought this whole process was funny, way before Facebook and Twitter, and got a big following,” Lovitt explains. “I straddle the line between Americans and Israelis. Israelis love my show and it’s the greatest compliment,” he says. “There is never a lack of material. I could joke about Hebrew for hours.” But the transition to Israel’s most famous Anglo comedian wasn’t so easy for the self-described “oleh vatik” (veteran immigrant). Upon making Aliyah, Lovitt was offered a position as the Assistant Director of Young Judaea. In a move that, in retrospect, was ill-advised, he attempted to juggle a full-time job and ulpan (Hebrew language classes). He

says of this time, “like many Americans, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, I gotta make money!’ Of course, I would do things different if I could go back.” “I never in a million years thought I’d say this, but I’d say don’t start in Tel Aviv, maybe go to a kibbutz and do ulpan to focus on Hebrew,” he advises. “I would tell people to be ‘selfish’ and focus on yourself. I put money first and Hebrew second.” The Aliyah journey is not only an opportunity to learn about Israel, but to also spend time doing some soul-searching. “You learn a lot about yourself, because immigrating is the most abnormal thing anybody can do in life. Especially to the Middle East,” he observes. Addressing a common concern, Lovitt believes Aliyah is not necessarily a lonely journey. Even if one decides to make Aliyah as a single person, there are thousands of Olim to call on as a support system. “You have this fraternity of Olim. Nowhere else in the world do people understand what you’ve gone through. You have this crazy shared experience that nobody else can appreciate,” he marvels. But is he happy? It’s a question Lovitt is often asked by his American friends and, ten years on, he still doesn’t have a stock answer. “When friends from America ask me if I’m happy, it’s this weird projection they have where everyday life is like their vacations, ‘Oh, are you just loving it there? Are you eating falafel on Ben Yehuda St.?’” he jokes. “Those words are superficial and shallow. I wouldn’t call it happy. Most people, anywhere, don’t wake up every day and say ‘Oh, how happy am I today?’ I have no plans to leave and I’m proud of what I’ve done here. It’s a journey.” While Lovitt doesn’t answer the question directly, it’s clear that he’s content. “When I’m here I complain and when I’m abroad I’m most proud of this place,” he says. “The fact that I’m still here and every year that passes, I celebrate it, is the reminder to myself  that I made the right choice.”

allowed to play in the car during their first ten years in the country. 14 years and three kids later (for a total of 7!), Mayer is a satisfied man. “What can I say? I’m much happier here that I ever was in America. My city of Modi’in is 100 times more beautiful than Queens,” he chuckles. “I can say with a clear conscience that I don’t have a moment of regret.”

15 years of Nefesh B'Nefesh in Photos

THE FIRST Nefesh B'Nefesh Aliyah flight touched down at Ben-Gurion Airport on July 5, 2002. The 500 new Olim were greeted by heads of state and government ministers at a festive inaugural ceremony.

ARIEL AND Binyamin Shain, who made Aliyah from Brooklyn, NY in 2004, were named after Israeli Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Binyamin Netanyahu who were inspirational to their parents. The brothers had the unique opportunity to meet their namesakes at their NBN welcome ceremony.

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ON AUGUST 16, 2006 Nefesh B’Nefesh set a record for western immigration to Israel when three chartered Aliyah flights, from the U.S., UK and Canada, arrived simultaneously, with hundreds of North American and British Jews aboard.

IN 2007, 10-year-old Dov Goldman-Aloof made Aliyah while holding up a sign that read, 'Our heritage is due to you' to commemorate his grandfather who fought as a pilot in the Israel Air Force in 1948. His family added, 'We are coming back to the land you fought for.'

IN THE summer of 2008, Aly Singer and Yaniv Cohen of Manchester drove 2,500 miles through Europe to make Aliyah. This 18-day trek was part of the JNF UK London-Jerusalem Car Rally, and they ended their journey by receiving their new Israeli identity cards in front of the Knesset.

IN AUGUST 2011, NBN partnered with the Friends of the IDF (FIDF) to establish the Lone Soldiers Program to assist and support the brave young men and women from around the world who choose to serve in the IDF upon making Aliyah. Former President, Shimon Peres, greeted the soon-to-be soldiers at this NBN flight.

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Photographs by Sasson Tiram, Shahar Azran and Yonit Schiller.

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IN 2014, in an unprecedented move, NBN made a huge stride forward in easing the transition process of dentists who wants to make Aliyah. 20 dentists from around the USA gathered to take the Israeli Dentistry Licensing Exam, at NBN’s US office, which expedited their Aliyah process. GEOFFREY ROGG fulfilled the promise he made to former PM David Ben-Gurion 41 years ago when, in November 2011, he and his wife made Aliyah, bringing to a close a story that began in 1969. Rogg had met Ben-Gurion in London where he asked the young man, ‘All I want to know is when will you come to Eretz Yisrael?’

AS A young Zionist in Germany, Sue Friedman collected money to build water towers in Israel and dreamt of making Aliyah. In 2015, at the age of 90, she joined her grandchildren – one of whom is MK Rachel Azaria – and is living out her dream in the Jewish State.

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ILANA BARTA made Aliyah from NJ during Operation Protective Edge in July 2014, a month before her wedding. At that time, her fiance, then a paratrooper in the IDF, had been in Gaza for three weeks and she hadn’t heard from him since the operation began. They are now expecting their first Sabra baby.

AN EMOTIONAL highlight of NBN’s August 2015 charter flight came when Adina Karpuj, 19, of Atlanta, who is currently a Lone Soldier in the IDF, was surprised on stage by Israeli artist Idan Raichel, whose music was the inspiration for her Aliyah.

ELLE SCHIFF, a nurse from Potomac, Maryland, made Aliyah in July 2016 in order

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to honor the memory of slain mother and nurse Dafna Meir. “I hope in this way it might inspire others to make Aliyah”. She was moved by Meir’s healing legacy and felt a strong connection to the prayer she composed. She connected with the Meir family and said “I just hope I can contribute as much to Israel as Dafna did.”

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(Yonit Schiller)

NEFESH B’NEFESH Tech Talks presenters (from left) Moe Mernick, Sivan Ya’ari, Ilan Regenbaum, Devorah Mason and Michael Eisenberg.

Innovation and Opportunities in the Start-up Nation

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ore than 300 Olim attended Nefesh B’Nefesh’s first installment of social networking events centered on the local hi-tech sector. “Tech Talks: Innovation in the Start-up Nation” was organized in partnership with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Department for Immigration Absorption. The Olim were eager to learn about employment opportunities in the startup nation, to hear first-hand tips on how to make it in the innovation ecosystem, and just rub shoulders with potential employers and useful contacts. “We wanted to show how Olim are having an impact on the tech scene in Israel and showcase the incredible Israeli tech world to Olim,” said Nefesh B’Nefesh Executive VP Zev Gershinsky. The Tech Talks format centered on conversations and presentations by leading and emerging individuals in the Israeli hi-tech world who made Aliyah either through Nefesh B’Nefesh or before.

The event began with a fireside chat between Michael Eisenberg, equal partner at the Aleph Venture Capital fund, and Ilan Regenbaum, a Lone Soldier currently serving as the head of business development in the Israel Air Force’s innovation department, and who is also involved in the early-stage investment fund, the Elevator Fund. The two Olim, a generation apart, shared their Aliyah experiences with the audience and dispensed tips on entering and navigating the ecosystem. This was followed by presentations from Sivan Ya’ari, founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa, Devorah Mason, COO and CFO of Voiceitt, and Moe Mernick, who runs business development at Hometalk and mentors young entrepreneurs in Israel. “In the last two years, Nefesh B’Nefesh seems to be expanding its focus through events like this. I would recommend for other Olim to use Nefesh B’Nefesh's resources if they are interested in the tech-world and the start-up nation,” Regenbaum said. Daniel Bolleg, a new immigrant from

• By MICHAEL ZEFF and SARAH KANTOR

London who now works for PayPal Israel’s risk division and does fraud detection, agreed. “I made Aliyah almost a year and a half ago without a concrete plan. I started an internship at the Israel Aerospace Industries based on my engineering background, but then somehow I switched careers and entered the hi-tech sector with the help of Nefesh B’Nefesh. They were instrumental to the job seeking and finding process and also put me in contact with people who understand the industry,” Bolleg added. According to Nefesh B’Nefesh, Tech Talks is an example of the organization’s expansion in postAliyah services and programs, geared to help new immigrants acclimate, integrate and thrive in Israel, including employment. To further the effectiveness of its employment department, Nefesh B’Nefesh recently launched an online job board which assists Olim in search of employment in Israel. Over 1800 new positions have been posted from hundreds of companies since

(Yonit Schiller)

TECH TALKS is just one of the many initiatives Nefesh B’Nefesh has undertaken in the past year to promote innovation amongst its Olim.

"We want to show two things in this event: One is how Olim have an impact on the tech scene, and two, show the incredible Israeli tech world to Olim. This is our way to introduce tech to Olim, and introduce Olim to tech.

Eliyahu was immediately hospitalized and underwent a successful bonemarrow transplant from his brother. Nevertheless, he contracted a highly invasive fungal infection that left him blind and deaf in one ear. Again defying his prognosis, Khaver somehow beat the infection and began the road to recovery. Still, he found the “customer service” involved in his extensive hearing tests and shopping for a hearing aid an extremely negative experience, and he discovered that others felt the same. “This is what led me to open a hearing clinic, Machon Shmia Hadar in Jerusalem for those who expect more,” he explained. “We don’t play games; we take care of our patients as family, whether it’s a test, service or repair. Our customers get plenty more than they expected, and we want to make this the new Israeli norm.” After many “trials and tribulations,” as Khaver put it, the clinic recently opened its doors to the public. “Nothing makes me more satisfied than knowing my business is here to help people who would otherwise be neglected and denied the care and options that they rightfully deserve,” he said. “We are the only hearing clinic that provides batteries free to all of our patients for at least three years, but usually for the life of the product.” The clinic (www.hadarhearing. co.il.) offers hearing tests in multiple languages, including English, Hebrew and Yiddish, he noted. The Khavers’ second son was born when Eliyahu was in the hospital, and today, Eliyahu looks back at his Aliyah as nothing short of a miracle. “I see Israel as a land of opportunity, which brought me the gift of life by coming here,” he said. “Our Aliyah has been the greatest move of our lives.... Thanks to God and making Aliyah, my children have a father, my wife has her husband, and my parents and family have their son and brother. I am the walking dead man. Israel is the greatest place, and we really must thank Nefesh B’Nefesh for all their help during such an amazing, yet difficult time.” 

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the hearing-impaired to providing cellphone selfie sticks and paint party events, the Fund truly enables immigrants to do business in Israel The Aliyah story of Baltimoreborn Eliyahu Khaver, one of the 2016 Blumenthal Fund recipients, is quite remarkable. Khaver and his Torontonian wife, Esther, made Aliyah with their baby son last year after a harrowing health scare. He had been diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia and required an urgent bone-marrow transplant. His doctors were not optimistic, but a rabbi advised him to “come to Israel and you’ll be healthy.” A week later, the Khavers made Aliyah on a Nefesh B’Nefesh flight.

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its launch, connecting employers in search of quality employees directly with qualified Olim. These are two of the many initiatives Nefesh B’Nefesh has undertaken in the past year to promote innovation amongst its Olim. Additionally, It recently became a partner and board member of the 8200 Social Program accelerator. The Tel Aviv-based accelerator program is considered one of Israel’s most successful in the social entrepreneurship realm. The program consists of a 5-month acceleration period, filled with workshops, events, and meetings with successful entrepreneurs, toptier professionals in various domains, and prominent investors. The cycle concludes with a special Demo Day event, where entrepreneurs get the opportunity to pitch their ideas to prominent investors. Ventures involved in the program are those that aim to solve social problems by technological means, with potential for high growth and social impact. The current 8200 Social Program cohort includes entrepreneur and NBN Oleh Jon Rathauser, founder and CEO of Kaheela, a mobile software company that aims to end the scourge of drug non-compliance in the developing world. Nefesh B’Nefesh also offers a grant from the Avram and Sharon Blumenthal Entrepreneurial Fund, which awards up to $10,000 to launch or expand a low-tech or small business in Israel. “We are grateful to Avram and Sharon Blumenthal for their vision and generosity. The Blumenthal Fund provides an impactful opportunity for passionate Zionists living in North America to partner with Nefesh B’Nefesh Olim who have actualized their dream of living in Israel and contributing to the growth of Israel’s economy,” said Aaron Leibowitz, Director of Community Engagement at Nefesh B’Nefesh. The 2016 Blumenthal Fund recipients represented a varied group of professionals. From aiding

Nina Brenner immigrated to Israel from Hollywood, Florida, in 2009 and began teaching art classes when she came up with a great idea: Paint parties! “I was struggling financially as a single mom when I made Aliyah,” Brenner said. “I started teaching art classes while finishing my MA degree [in gifted education] online. I discovered a fun way to teach both small and large groups how to paint anything, no matter the skill level. In other words, I could teach how to paint beautiful professional paintings to anyone, therefore boosting their confidence and self-esteem.” So what exactly is a paint party? “Seated at a table with a personal easel, each participant receives his or her own canvas, brush and paints. After voting on one painting, the fun begins. From the very first trace, we are there to gently guide everyone with every brush stroke, every color choice and every technique,” she explained, adding that there is also food, music and wine. “We work in a step-by-step process, ensuring that everyone is always on track with the group,” she continued. “More often than not, the majority of the participants are inexperienced painters with little confidence. After just two hours, every party member leaves with an unexpected boost of self-assurance – as well as a beautiful, professional-looking painting they created all by themselves. While they

(NBN)

YEKUTIEL SHERMAN demonstrates how to use a StikBox.

may not have believed it, each and every person is capable of producing beautiful artwork with just a little guidance.” Brenner, who lives in Rehovot, had already had success with her paint parties, and can now expand and develop with the assistance from the Blumenthal grant. “Paint Party Events Israel brings the Paint Party to you. Not only are you having a party, but you will change the way you view art forever. This unique aspect makes Paint Party Events a highly sought-after activity year round,” she said. “Since our launch, over 3,000 participants have painted with us in over 150 parties in

(Nina Brenner)

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NINA BRENNER (third from left) at a paint party.

20 different cities throughout Israel.” Yekutiel Sherman was only 21 when he invented StikBox two years ago He made Aliyah as a Lone Soldier. The rest of his family (his parents and four younger brothers) followed in his footsteps two years ago from London and now live in Jerusalem. “One day I was walking through the market and I saw a stand that was selling selfie sticks and phone cases,” said Sherman, who is now the CEO of the company. “I asked, why carry two things when you can carry one? With StikBox, users get the functionality of both a protective phone case and a selfie stick all in one, which stays with them no matter where they go.” StikBox (www.stikbox.com) features a soft plastic handset with an aluminum back that can be extended into a selfie stick. It connects to a mobile phone via Bluetooth. After a successful Kickstarter campaign launched late last year, it was exhibited in Germany at a fair last month and expect to start shipping the first units abroad soon. “Our future plan is to expand the StikBox family to all major smartphone models,” David said. “We are very grateful to [Nefesh B’Nefesh] and the Blumenthal Fund for their support and recognition.” Steve Linde contributed to this report 

A Healing Aliyah For three American physicians, moving to Israel was a healthy homecoming • By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH Health and Science Editor

ncredibly, Dr. David Kupferberg runs US hospital intensive care units from an office near his home in the Jerusalem area, when American doctors are sleeping at night. An immigrant who came with his family from La Jolla (San Diego), California, he has the best of both worlds. “I run ICUs remotely all over the US. I have 18 licenses, one for each state in which I practice.” Kupferberg grew up in Montreal, Canada to parents who left Romania after WWII. He studied medicine at McGill University in his native city and did his residency in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care. His wife is an attorney by training and currently a writer. The couple has five children, a boy in the Israel Defense Forces and younger children aged 14, 13, 11 and eight. They always wanted to live in Israel, even though moving and getting themselves and their children acclimated took some time.

(David Kupferberg)

DR. DAVID KUPFERBERG at work. “We were greatly helped by Nefesh B’Nefesh and spent a year planning our Aliyah. We drove across America in our minivan in 2014 to board an Aliyah charter flight in July.” I couldn’t have predicted who would have an easier time being absorbed into the country, but our 14-year-old daughter is the happiest.

(Shahar Azran)

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DR. DAVID KUPFERBERG with his family.

She is in high school and was a member of a soccer club for girls.” Additionally, he is fully licensed as an Israeli specialist. Not only does he work in telemedicine, but he also has a small private practice in pulmonology here. The story of how he found his ICU job is amazing. He says, “My wife and I went to a critical care medical conference in Hawaii. I was wearing my kippa. A man came over, spoke to me and asked if I wanted to make Aliyah. In five minutes, I was talking to my future employer.” Kupferberg keeps his eyes on monitors of patients attached to respirators in critical care. “It is day here and night in the US. We see lab results, medical charts and electrocardiograms. Most patients are unconscious. If we were not watching and supervising their care, there would either be no doctor or a physician who is half asleep in America.” He works shifts from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Israel time. He does not have to work on 

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Shabbat or Jewish holidays. Regarding advice for American Jewish doctors interested in Aliyah, he said: “There are those who want an American income while living here, so they commute. It is difficult, but doable. There is a shortage of physicians here. You have to find the right job and a proper salary.” But whatever he does, “There’s nothing like living in Israel. It’s a dream come true. I feel very fortunate. It’s a blessing. The level of medicine is very high and my family sees me more here than they ever did in America .” ***

r. Beth Schoen, a post-doctoral scientist who made Aliyah in 2014 from Florida, and currently lives in Haifa, is busy making plans, among them getting married in July. Schoen has impressive credentials as a Fulbright postdoctoral fellow and an American Association of University Women postdoctoral fellow. “After getting my doctorate in chemical engineering, I wanted to get international experience, so I decided on a postdoc at the TechnionIsrael Institute of Technology.”

(Beth Schoen)

DR. BETH SCHOEN She was greatly assisted by Nefesh B’Nefesh. “They informed me that if one has a master’s or doctoral degree, there is plenty of funding to keep you in the country. In the end, I found my first job on my own, at the Technion.” There she worked in Prof. Marcelle Machluf’s lab in the biotechnology and food engineering faculty, and with Prof. Moran Bercovici in the mechanical engineering faculty. She chose Machluf because “hers was the only lab in the world doing what I wanted to do – delivering chemotherapy

directly to cancer cells.” Now she works at Taro Pharmaceutical Industries in Haifa. “I’m part of an innovative team and training to be a patent agent. The company was founded around the time of Israel’s founding, and it focused on generic medications. But today, it is working on novel drugs,” Schoen explained. She went to Hebrew school once or twice a week until 12th grade near her home in Florida. “I knew how to recite prayers, but I couldn’t really speak. Today, I can read and write Hebrew, but my speaking is not as good.” “I remember at Michigan State University, studying with a friend from India who said she would return to her native country to be a professor there. I couldn’t understand why she would go back. She said, ‘It’s my home.’ I told her I didn’t feel that way in the US, so I thought, “Where can I go to contribute to my people? I realized it must be Israel.” Asked what she would advise potential Olim, Schoen ponders then says, “Be patient. I think every Diaspora Jew should consider living in Israel – if not forever then at least for a year or two to taste it. Think where you feel most accepted, where you can contribute more to your Jewish identity. You have to be very assertive to live in Israel, but you can learn.” In another decade, she hopes to be a patent agent and a mother while contributing to Israeli innovation. She is indeed looking forward to the future. ***

E (Beth Schoen)

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DR. BETH SCHOEN and her fiance Gennady Utkin with former US Ambassador Dan Shapiro

ven though Dr. Dan Sapir, Dr. Beth Schoen and Dr. David Kupferberg were born in North America, they call Israel “home.” This is where they want to live and where their future is and that of the Jewish People. All three made Aliyah on Nefesh B’Nefesh flights. Dr. Dan Sapir and his Singaporeanborn wife Ayelet (who moved here

(Dan Sapir)

DAN AND AYELET SAPIR a personal and honest manner. My wife and I have not been regarded as outsiders, on the contrary we have been taken in and completely absorbed by the community. Yerucham is, indeed, a very special place,” he declares. “When I walk to the synagogue in the morning or when my wife and I go on long walks in the evening, I love what I see – the desert, with its amazing expanse and simplicity. Truly, I have no need to go on vacation, for it feels I am already on vacation. Sitting on our back porch and having breakfast or drinking coffee at a neighbor’s house is living a dream. Further, somehow I feel I have no need to return to visit the US nor to vote in the US elections or to celebrate Thanksgiving. I have left it all behind.” Dan and Ayelet do a lot of volunteer work and are known throughout Yerucham – even by the mayor – for their good deeds and accomplishments. Some of this work includes Ayelet teaching English to Bedouin and local schoolchildren as well as working in the library. They have painted parts of the city to help beautify it and improve the environment. In recognition of their hard work, they were given the honor of lighting a torch on Independence Day. "We came to Israel not to run from the US but to return home. And, as I have said, it is home – for me, for my wife and for my daughter. Thus there  is no need to seek elsewhere.”

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Jewish friends have intermarried. Now they are back for good. Their daughter, who made Aliyah on her own, is a teacher living in Jerusalem, while their two sons still live in the US pursuing their doctoral degrees. “Israel is home. I have never felt truly at home in any other place.” Dan chose to treat patients at the Clalit Health Services pain clinic in Beersheba and Yerucham instead of working in the giant Soroka University Medical Center. “Israel’s health system has its problems, as do all. However, what is special is it truly serves the population. I hear so many stories from the US regarding the high cost of care and accessibility, though not necessarily about the medical care itself. ” Because of the vast resources and the very high cost of medical care, the US medical system has plenty of equipment – “toys” as he calls them. Even without the same resources the quality of medicine in Israel is more than comparable and “accessibility” is far better, being available to everyone, regardless of financial means. “We have a solid basket of health services, but the bureaucracy of the system is often frustrating. Due to limited resources there are often long waiting periods for some services, which are more pronounced in the periphery. Doctors do care for the well-being of their patients and are not primarily concerned about reimbursements and financial gain. I am more content working here than in the US, not having to constantly fight with insurance carriers over patients’ coverage and benefits,” he said. “Aliyah means coming home. We live very comfortably on very little money. Of course there are the apparent high costs of housing, car ownership etc., but daily costs and having no need to pay such high costs for higher education or health insurance makes a vast difference in the overall cost of living. We chose to live in Yerucham because we found it to be a warm and open community. The residents are welcoming and truly interact with one another in

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two years ago from Bloomington, Indiana) were not looking for city lights, excitement or luxury. Thus, after pre-Aliyah tours to find a suitable place to settle down, they chose the Negev development town of Yerucham. “My father’s family, the Sepias, arrived in Israel with Aliyah Bet in 1904, possibly from Georgia in the Russian Empire. My father would be proud if he were alive today. So would my mother, who came from Holland and whose brother was a classmate of Anne Frank. I am closing the circle, since my father was Israeli, born in Jerusalem.” “A soldier with the pre-state fighting force, the Haganah, my father enlisted in the British Air Force during WWII to fight against Nazi Germany. After the war he moved to the US where he met and married my mother. My mother and her father were the sole Holocaust survivors in her family. My parents had been planning to return to Israel, but their plans did not work out.” Dan, a twin, was born in Chicago. He studied medicine doing residencies in both Surgery and Anesthesia, with a specialization in pain medicine. “Many years later, while studying in Japan for two years to further my knowledge of pain medicine, I met my wife, a lawyer by profession. She was on vacation at the time. It is interesting to note that she was studying Judaism even prior to our meeting. After her studies and Orthodox conversion, we were married in the synagogue in Tokyo.” About 25 years ago, Dan and Ayelet made Aliyah to Israel and lived in Tiberias for a few years before returning to America. During this time, Dan served as a physician in the Israel Defense Forces. “I truly loved serving.” However, because of substantial school loans, they returned to the US. Their love for Israel remained in their minds and hearts. The high assimilation rate in American Jewry was also an important issue for Dan and Ayelet. He notes most of his

First NBN Sabras Recreate Photo with Natan Sharansky Parents, teens gather to celebrate Aliyah with the Jewish Agency Chairman

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NBN is an excellent partner.” He said that private initiatives have the privilege of using a more intimate approach and that NBN succeeded in legitimizing Aliyah in the US Jewish communities. According to Sharansky, there had previously been a negative perception of the Jewish Agency emissaries, visiting US Jewish communities to “take people away” from them. “But then members of the community themselves started talking about it and today it’s seen as much more legitimate to work both on strengthening the communities and also on Aliyah - NBN really helped that.” He also said NBN built communities of Olim in several areas such as the city H • TH E FES USALE JER

"It is heartwarming to see how these families have really laid roots and grown since 2003."

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he first sabras (native Israeli Jews) born to immigrants who made Aliyah with Nefesh B’Nefesh in 2003, gathered in Jerusalem last month, in tribute to Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky. NBN hosted a celebratory breakfast at the David Citadel hotel, where 14 years ago, the group of new immigrants met up, with 13 babies born in Israel in the year after the organization’s first flight, and took a picture with NBN Co-Founder and Executive Director Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Sharansky. They recently recreated that picture, together with the children who are now young teenagers. Rabbi Fass, who attended the event with the first of his four Sabras, said that “It is heartwarming to see how these families have really laid roots and grown since we took the initial group photo back in 2003. It is remarkable to see how each Oleh is contributing in their own way to building our country and our nation. Some of the mothers in this group are now grandmothers, their children are learning, working, serving the country, and planting roots of their own. The impact and growth of these families is immeasurable. ” Sharansky has been a big supporter of NBN’s work since its founding. “I was then head of the Yisrael

BaAliyah party at the Knesset,” said Sharansky, recalling that the first award handed out by the party was to NBN Founders Tony Gelbart and Rabbi Fass. Now to “see their children and grandchildren, reminds me that it’s a good investment,” he smiles. He then stated that the Jewish Agency filled a historic position in the field of Aliyah and added that it was “so important that private individuals entered the field and today we see that

• By TAMARA ZIEVE

of Beit Shemesh and the Modiin area. Indeed, several of the families at the reunion were from these two locations. New York native Robin Schreiber and her son Moshe, 13, are Chashmonaim residents; her daughter Leora agrees with Sharansky that NBN is a good investment - she is in her second year of national service, working for the organization. Schreiber says they live in an Anglo community and have a halfAmerican, half-Israeli identity. She does volunteer work in her community, as well as for the Jewish Agency. “I think my family is brave. They had to leave everything to move here - their friends and jobs - it’s pretty hard to move, but after time you gain it all back,” said Moshe. Moshe is sitting next to Kobe Ben-David, of Neve Daniel, and the two are clearly fast friends, both enthusiasts of a video game called Minecraft, which they play together every day over Skype. Kobe’s parents, Laura and Lawrence, couldn’t attend the event, but he speaks on their behalf, saying “they made a great decision” in making Aliyah, one which they never regret. Rachel Abelow designs digital photo albums and made Aliyah with her family from Riverdale. She added, “I love living in the land of the Jews and being in my homeland. I moved because this was where I was meant to be.” 

2003

(Sasson Tiram)

2017

(Jared Bernstein)

NBN HOSTS a celebratory breakfast for new immigrants together with its Co-Founder and Executive Director Rabbi Yehoshua Fass

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and Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky at Jerusalem’s David Citadel Hotel in 2003 (top), and recreates the photograph in 2017 with the 13 babies – who are now teenagers – born in Israel in the first year of the organization’s founding (bottom).

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(Shahar Azran)

Sylvan Adams Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize Recognizes Outstanding Anglo Olim

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Tzachi Hanegbi, minister in the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of National Security and Foreign Affairs, who hosted the Bonei Zion Prize Ceremony in the Knesset for the past two years, noted that the recipients of the prize have ultimately succeeded in helping shape and improve Israeli society. “Their contributions to Israel have not ended with choosing to live in Israel. Each one them has chosen a way of life that contributes tremendously H • TH E FES USALE JER

'The Bonei Zion Prize recipients exemplify how Anglo Olim are making historic advancements and contributing, each in their own field, to the success of the country and our nation'

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n 2013, Nefesh B’Nefesh established the Bonei Zion Prize to recognize and honor Anglo Olim for their contributions to the State of Israel. Last year, as a result of the generosity of Sylvan Adams , the prize was renamed and is now known as the Sylvan Adams Nefesh B' Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize. Aliyah from English-speaking countries has continued to increase, bringing with it truly remarkable Olim who are making a significant impact on the Jewish State, economically, socially and culturally. The prize acknowledges the diversity of these outstanding Olim and honors six individuals from various fields, as well as presenting one deserving Oleh with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, the Bonei Zion categories include Community & Non-Profit, Education, Israel Advocacy, Science & Medicine, Young Leadership, and Culture, Art & Sports. “The Bonei Zion Prize recipients exemplify how Anglo Olim are making historic advancements and contributing, each in their own field, to the success of the country and our nation,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. “The goal of the Bonei Zion Prize has been to highlight to Jews worldwide the incredible achievements Olim are making in their respective fields in Israel and how one can succeed

despite being a newcomer.” Previous winners in the Community & Non-Profit category include individuals who are working on solving hunger in Israel, helping Israelis navigate the religious bureaucracy, and assisting Agunot in Israel and abroad in freeing themselves from the chains of unwanted marriage. In the past three years, the prize for Science & Medicine has been awarded to Olim who work in genetics, neuroscience, and understanding ethical issues related to treating the critically ill. These prize recipients are all in the top of their fields, making huge strides in improving science and medicine both in Israel and abroad.

• By JEREMY SHARON and DAFNA FARKAS

to Israel’s economy, society, education and so much more,” Hanegbi said. The educators who have stood out among the Bonei Zion nominees are the principal of Israel’s first pluralistic school, the founding director of a program to promote appreciation of diversity among Arab and Jewish students, and the founder of a revolutionary women’s learning center in Israel. The winners for Culture, Arts & Sports have been quite varied, including the Director of Production for English educational TV programming, a Consultant and Editor for an English publishing company in Israel, and the creator of a quintessentially Israeli comic strip. Sylvan Adams, who recently made Aliyah from Canada and is the sponsor of the Bonei Zion Prize, said he considered the prize to be “a small down payment on our debt of gratitude to the State of Israel and Nefesh B’Nefesh for welcoming us so warmly.” This year, two new categories have been introduced – Young Leadership and Israel Advocacy. This is in order to better emphasize the contributions made by younger Olim who represent the future of the State of Israel, as well as those who have dedicated their lives to properly represent the State of Israel on the international stage. “It is truly remarkable each year to see how Olim are making such a significant impact on the State of Israel,” concluded Rabbi Fass. 

2014 PRIZE YOSEF ABRAMOWITZ, Entrepreneurship & Technology, CEO & Founder of Energiya Global Capital; JOSEPH GITLER, Community & NonProfit, Founder & Chairman of Leket Israel; YAAKOV KIRSCHEN, Culture, Sports & Art, Creator of Dry Bones; LT. NIRA LEE, IDF & National Service Young Leadership, Head of Hasbara Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT); RABBANIT MALKE BINA, Education, Founder & Chancellor of “Matan;” PROFESSOR SHIMON GLICK, Lifetime Achievement Award, Professor & Dean Emeritus of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben Gurion University; PROFESSOR JEFFREY HAUSDORFF, Science & Medicine, Tel Aviv University Director of Neurodynamics & Gait Research Laboratory Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

(Shahar Azran)

2015 PRIZE PROFESSOR CHARLES SPRUNG, Science & Medicine, Director of General Intensive Care Unit at Hadassah Medical Organization; CHANA REIFMAN ZWEITER, Education, Founding Director of Kaleidoscope/The Rosh Pina Mainstreaming Network; RABBI DR. SETH FARBER, Community & Non-Profit, Founder and Executive Director of ITIM; TAL BRODY, Lifetime Achievement Award, Ambassador of Goodwill State of Israel; ASAF STEIN PHD, IDF & National Service Young Leadership, Staff Sgt. in the Reconnaissance Battalion (Gadsar) Golani Brigade; ASHER WEILL, Culture, Art & Sports, Consultant and Editor for all English publications for Limmud FSU; JON MEDVED, Entrepreneurship & Technology, Founder and CEO of OurCrowd.

(Sasson Tiram)

2016 PRIZE TONY GELBART, Chairman & Co-Founder of Nefesh B’Nefesh; SCOTT R. TOBIN, Entrepreneurship & Technology, General Partner of Battery Ventures; DR. RACHEL LEVMORE, Community & Non-Profit, Founder & Director of The Agunah & Get-Refusal Prevention Project; SAHAR ELBAZ, IDF & National Service Young Leadership, Staff Sgt. Givati Brigade; BARBARA LEVIN, Education, Principal Emerita of Frankel Community School; SYLVAN ADAMS, Sponsor of the Bonei Zion Award; MOSHE ARENS, Lifetime Achievement Award, Former Diplomat & Politician; ESTELLE FRIEDMAN, Culture, Art & Sports, Director of Production for Israel Educational TV; PROF. HOWARD (CHAIM) CEDAR, Science & Medicine, Safra Distinguished Professor of Developmental Biology & Cancer Research at Hebrew University; RABBI YEHOSHUA FASS, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. H • TH E FES USALE JER

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(Shahar Azran)

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