BECAUSE OF YOU…

When the war broke out, Andrei, a lone soldier from Ukraine who had made Aliyah to Israel five years ago, knew he had to get his family out of Ukraine. After a frightening departure, they made it. And with the help of Jewish National Fund – USA’s affiliate, Nefesh B’Nefesh, in Israel, they are adapting to their new lives in Israel.

Andrei’s story is familiar to many of the Ukrainian refugees who find themselves unexpectedly making Aliyah to Israel. That’s why the work being done by Nefesh B’Nefesh is more critical than ever.

 
“We didn’t ask for it, but the government of Israel turned to us and requested we do something never done before - to host three separate government agencies off-site to calibrate the Ukrainian Aliyah process while saving the country money and more importantly, transforming the Aliyah experience for the Ukrainian refugees”, said Doreet Freedman, Nefesh B’Nefesh Vice President of Partnerships and Development.

 
Nefesh B’Nefesh’s mandate is North American Aliyah. Their ‘start-up Aliyah’ approach, attention to customer service and calibrated processing has resulted in a remarkable Aliyah retention rate of over 90%, where previously more than half had left. For over 20 years, they have raised the confidence of prospective Olim (those making Aliyah) wishing to build new lives in Israel. To date 74,000 North American Olim have come through Nefesh B’Nefesh.

 
They acknowledge that this is not a typical refugee population. These people are educated, techno-savvy, middle class, and used to living in a democratic society. This skilled population can immediately enrich Israel. It was critical that what would normally have been a cumbersome bureaucratic process minimally taking 8 months to complete, was fast-tracked and revolutionized in a warm and inviting space housed in the new NBN Jerusalem Campus on Israel’s National Mall.

 
Nefesh B’Nefesh has developed the know-how, technologies, seamless processes, procedures and the ability to help those making Aliyah to Israel adapt and thrive. “These people are family and we want them to feel at home. We had coloring stations for the kids, chess boards and games on the table and fresh fruit, danishes and coffee. We hired Ukrainian former lone soldiers to help the refugees. As one new Ukrainian Oleh remarked to me ‘when you come to a place that’s nice and you are treated nicely- you can relax and act nicely”, says Freedman.

1901 marked Jewish National Fund’s vision to buy land and plant trees in Israel to build a nation. Today, JNF-USA is partnering with Nefesh B’Nefesh to plant PEOPLE in Israel to strengthen that nation. 

To learn more about the Lone Soldier program, click here.

Written by Jackie Goldstein, Co-Chair WFI Atlanta, and Roni Wolk, Assistant VP, National Women for Israel Executive Board