Nefesh B’Nefesh brings mostly North American immigrants to Israel, but the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem brings immigrants from all over, and recently sponsored the largest aliyah flight of British Jews in 15 years.
A special aliyah flight organized by the Jewish Agency and funded by Christian donors to ICEJ carried 44 British immigrants who were part of a group of 50 British Jews whose immigration flights to Israel this summer are being funded by a single Christian donor through the ICEJ-USA branch.
Among the new arrivals on this latest aliyah flight from the UK were tri-generational families with babies and young children, as well as grandparents. They left the UK for Israel against a backdrop of rising antisemitism and growing insecurity for Jewish communities across Europe.
Since the October 7 massacres by Hamas nearly two years ago, more than 45,000 Jews have immigrated to Israel from around the world, with the ICEJ assisting over 5,200 of these new arrivals during their aliyah journey. Aliyah from Britain in particular has surged dramatically. In 2024, 676 British Jews immigrated to Israel – nearly double the 336 who came the year before. Many cite the sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in Britain as a key factor in their decision to leave for Israel.
“It was a special and moving moment to participate in the flight that brought the largest aliyah group from Britain in more than a decade,” said Nicole Yoder, ICEJ vice president for aid and aliyah, who accompanied the group on its journey from London to Israel. “Seeing these families step off the plane, full of hope for a new life in their ancestral homeland, was incredibly inspiring,” she stated.
Supporting Jewish immigration to Israel has been a core part of the ICEJ’s mission, since its establishment in 1980. However, the urgency of aliyah has intensified since October 7. Over the past two years, the Christian Embassy has invested millions of shekels in flights, temporary housing, and integration assistance for Israel’s new immigrants.
“Our support for aliyah from Britain and so many other countries is meant to express our solidarity with the Jewish people in this difficult time they currently are facing worldwide due to the worrisome increase in global antisemitism,” said ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler. “We want to help every Jewish family we can to return to their historic homeland in Eretz Israel. Thus, we are greatly pleased and honored to support this latest group of Jews making aliyah from Britain.”
After the fall of the Iron Curtain, the ICEJ played a significant role in bringing Jews from the former Soviet Union to Israel.
Since its founding 45 years ago, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, working in cooperation with The Jewish Agency and other partners, has assisted in helping more than 190,000 Jews in making aliyah.
■ WHILE THE battle is still raging over the refusal by most ultra-Orthodox young men to serve in the IDF, young Jews, and also non-Jews from abroad, are willing to put their lives on the line for Israel as lone soldiers.
If those rabbis who issue edicts against serving in the IDF and cause their eligible flocks to tear up their call-up papers, they should be put in prison for treason.
In ultra-Orthodox circles, young men tend to get married at a very early age so that they can sow their wild oats at home. It would be fair to invoke the religious injunction not to send a bridegroom to the battlefield in his first year of marriage. It would even be fair to take it a little further and allow him additional time before enlisting if his wife is pregnant with their first child, so that he can be present at the birth, and at the circumcision if the infant is a boy.
But not to serve at all when service is mandatory for all other young men and also for their fathers and older brothers who are in the reserves, one can only ask, “Have you no shame?” So many young Israelis under the age of 25 have fallen in battle since October 7. And the ultra-Orthodox have the temerity to complain that they are deprived of government funding. What are they doing to deserve government funding?
If they are not doing their bit in defense of the country, then the country owes them nothing. Why are lone soldiers from all over the Jewish world willing to come and fight for Israel when tens of thousands of native-born Israelis refuse to do so?
■ AS A gesture to lone soldiers from the US, Russia, and Argentina who are part of the Birthright Israel Post-October 7 Volunteer program, a group of their parents was brought to Israel to reunite with their children, whom they had not seen in quite a while.
The parents had an emotional meeting with their offspring at the Moshe Dayan IDF base at Glilot junction.
The event was also attended by Maj.-Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate, Israeli American physician and philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson, a long-time generous supporter of Birthright, and Gidi Mark, CEO of Birthright Israel.
“There are not enough words to describe the deep admiration we have for you, the lone soldiers,” said Bar Kalifa. “Watching you hugging your parents after such a long time is a great joy and a deeply emotional moment.”
One of the parents, David Delman from New York City, whose son serves as a lone soldier in the Combat Engineering Corps, said: “Our son always tells us that the soldiers who serve with him make him feel like he’s part of a new family that was formed in Israel. Now, we can see exactly what he means, as we feel it ourselves. I’m sure all the other parents in our group feel the same way – we all share the same destiny.”
The group arrived in Israel on August 5, and will remain for a 14-day volunteer mission. During their stay, they are working in agricultural fields such as Meshek Michaeli near Gaza, participating in food packaging projects across Israel, and contributing to other volunteer projects. Their program also includes a tour of the Gaza Envelope – including Sderot and Re’im – and meetings with senior IDF officers and municipal leaders.
Five more groups of parents of lone soldiers from around the world are expected to arrive in Israel with Birthright this month, bringing the total to 160 parents.
“Birthright Israel has never before hosted a group of participants who are parents of lone soldiers serving far from their home countries to protect Israel,” said Mark. “I salute each of the soldiers, but also their parents, for raising such brave young people. It is inspiring to see young Jews willing to leave everything behind to serve the people of Israel – you truly deserve immense credit, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
The highly subsidized Birthright Israel Post-October 7 Volunteer Program provides people aged 18-50 with opportunities to make a tangible difference in communities across Israel. Participants assist in food rescue operations to prevent market shortages, help rebuild kibbutzim, support community restoration efforts in areas hardest hit by the October 7 attacks, and work on projects that strengthen food security.
The program costs $600 per participant and includes: flights and transportation to volunteer sites, accommodation, daily breakfast or an alternative food stipend, health insurance, and a robust educational and social program. Volunteers typically work four to six hours per day and have opportunities to meet Israeli peers.
Applicants must identify as Jewish, speak basic English, and hold a passport valid for at least six months after the program’s end date.
Although this is a relatively new program for Birthright, parents of lone soldiers have in the past been brought to Israel if a son or daughter is among the 120 outstanding soldiers honored at the President’s Residence on Independence Day. But in the years in which that used to happen, it was a surprise involving only one of the 120 soldiers. Such on-stage reunions were particularly emotional for parents from the former Soviet Union, who, when their sons left for Israel, were never sure that they would ever see them again.
■ IT’S A milestone season for higher education in Israel. This year, the Hebrew University celebrated its centenary, Bar-Ilan University is celebrating its 70th anniversary, and, next year, Tel Aviv University will celebrate its 70th anniversary, while Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Open University will each celebrate its 55th anniversary.
BIU celebrated its 70th anniversary with the unveiling of a commemorative postage stamp, despite the fact that very few letters these days have stamps on them, and tangible mail has been rapidly replaced by email.
But for stamp collectors and people interested in the history of philately, stamps remain of paramount importance.
The unveiling of the stamp was held in the presence of senior Israel Post and BIU leadership.
The university officially launched its 70th anniversary celebrations last week with the release of the stamp honoring Bar-Ilan’s past achievements and looking toward the future.
For seven decades, Bar-Ilan University has stood as a leading institution of higher learning. Since its founding in 1955, the university has successfully combined academic excellence with social pluralism, offering students and researchers a high-quality environment that fosters learning, research, and inspiration.
The stamp symbolizes the university’s scientific breakthroughs and lasting impact over the decades – and its continued contributions in the years to come.
“The debut of this stamp is not just an opportunity to look back. It is an invitation to look forward – to the next 70 years. Bar-Ilan’s vision is rooted in the same core values of its founders, now translated into the challenges of the 21st century,” remarked BIU President Prof. Arie Zaban.
Israel Post CEO David Laron presented the stamp to Prof. Zaban; Bar-Ilan CEO and Deputy President Zohar Yinon; and Rector Prof. Amnon Albeck.
“An Israeli stamp is, above all, a symbol of the state, of Zionism, and of the connection between past, present, and future,” said Laron. “It is a great honor for Israel Post to take part in issuing a stamp that celebrates 70 years of educational, scientific, cultural, and ethical excellence at Bar-Ilan University.”
The event was also attended by BIU Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer Naama Gat; BIU deans and senior faculty; Ada Malul, director of the Israel Philatelic Service; Israel Post spokesperson Gal Levanon-Levy; and Ronen Goldberg, designer of the 70th anniversary stamp.