520 Olim Arrive from US, UK, Canada
Excerpts;
520 new immigrants from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom arrived on three flights sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Jewish Agency Wednesday morning and were welcomed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and agency Chairman Ze’ev Bielski.
Olmert’s decision to greet the newcomers showed the “great importance” he placed on their arrival, a spokesman from his office said.
Jewish Agency spokesman Michael Jankelowitz praised the olim who arrived during the 35 days of violence, saying many of them had decided to make aliya two years ago, during the worst days of the second intifada.
Their “ideological” decision to return to the Land of Israel, Jankelowitz said, was not changed by the war in the north.
“These olim had decided before the conflict erupted that they were coming home to Israel,” said Jankelowitz. “When the chips are down, it doesn’t mean that the desire to return home goes away. These people thought the best way to show support for Israel and the best answer to Israel’s enemies is to come and live in Israel.”