As rockets continue to fall on Israel and IDF soldiers prepare for the next stage of fighting in Gaza, a remarkable scene took place this week at Ben-Gurion Airport. A Nefesh B’Nefesh charter flight touched down, carrying 225 new immigrants – 45 families and 125 children – who chose to make Israel their home in the midst of war.
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of NBN, stood on the tarmac with co-founder and chairman Tony Gelbart, greeting the new arrivals. “Every one of these olim is a hero,” Fass said. “They are choosing to build their lives here not because of ease or comfort, but because of conviction and belief in the Jewish future.” Gelbart added: “Their arrival is the ultimate act of solidarity, sending a message to Israelis that they are not alone.”
Aliyah during wartime is not new, but it remains profoundly moving. The Torah reminds us, “The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year until the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12). The Land of Israel has never been a place of calm waiting for its children to return; it has always demanded courage.
From Holocaust survivors in the 1940s, to Jews from Arab lands in the 1950s, to Russian and Ethiopian Jews in later decades, immigration to Israel has often taken place in the shadow of hardship and danger.
A growing connection to Israel
Today is no different. In the United States, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that a majority of Americans believe Israel’s response in Gaza has been “excessive.” In Europe, governments are pushing recognition of a Palestinian state. On college campuses, Jewish students face open hostility. Against this backdrop, men and women still uproot their lives and come to Israel. They are not deterred by headlines. For many, the war makes aliyah more urgent.
Consider David Tauber, who arrived on this week’s flight from Philadelphia. “I have so many emotions now,” he told reporters. “We’re living a dream. We’re here to be a part of the rebuilding of our land.” His words capture the essence of aliyah: a mix of vulnerability and strength, of fear and faith.
Aliyah is not only about numbers or demographics. It is about identity and destiny. The Talmud (Ketubot 110b) teaches that “all who dwell in the Land of Israel are like one who has a God.” Our sages understood that living here was never about convenience. It was about making a choice to be part of the unfolding story of the Jewish people.
Even those with influence and security abroad are making that choice. Brandon Korff, the Jewish-American billionaire grandson of media mogul Sumner Redstone, is in the process of securing Israeli residency. Best known for helping orchestrate the $35 billion sale of Paramount, Korff has long supported Israeli causes, including the IDF and medical institutions. A senior Israeli official called his application “a meaningful and encouraging step for Israel” at a time of boycotts and international pressure. Korff himself has described his move as an expression of solidarity.
Whether it is a media mogul, a lone soldier, or a young family from New Jersey, each act of aliyah is an affirmation of Zionism. In times of war, that affirmation takes on even greater weight. “It is very exciting to be on this flight with 225 new olim who chose to immigrate right now,” Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said. “They are part of the Zionist story, at a time when worldwide antisemitism is on the rise at an alarming rate.”
Israel must ensure that these new arrivals are supported. Housing, education, and employment opportunities cannot be neglected, even as national attention is focused on the war. Integration policies are not luxuries for peacetime; they are the foundation of the Jewish state. Every immigrant who chooses Israel should feel not only welcomed, but needed.
The war will eventually end. But the task of building Israel is ongoing. Isaiah’s vision of sons and daughters returning to Zion is fulfilled not in one dramatic moment, but in steady waves of aliyah that continue even in dark days. Every landing at Ben-Gurion is a quiet miracle.
Aliyah in wartime is not only an act of faith – it is an act of defiance. It declares to our enemies that the Jewish people will not be driven out: that we are returning, not retreating. It answers antisemitism abroad with the most powerful response imaginable: Jews coming home.
The message could not be clearer. Israel is not emptying; it is filling. Our enemies want us to doubt our future. Each plane of new immigrants proves that our future is already here.