Some 215 new immigrants from the United States and Canada landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, at the height of this summer’s wave of immigration.

The olim (as those who immigrate to Israel are called in Hebrew) will join the more than 1,300 people from the United States and Canada who have immigrated to the Jewish state since the start of 2023.

The chartered flight was made up of 22 families with 75 children, 15 single men and women and 17 retirees. The youngest immigrant on the flight was 4 months old and the oldest 77 years old.

In addition, seven doctors and 15 medical professionals who will be integrated into the Israeli medical system were on the move. Some 27 olim from the leak are part of the Nefesh B’Nefesh-KKL Go Beyond initiative, aimed at developing the outlying areas of Israel and Jerusalem.

There were also dozens of young adults going to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as lone soldiers. They will enroll in Garin Tzabar, a Friends of Israel Scouts program that provides support before and during military service, and coordinates communities across Israel to serve as a home for such people.

This is the 64th Aliyah (immigration) flight organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh via El Al Israel Airlines (Israel’s National Airline), in cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel , the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael (KKL), the American Jewish National Fund. and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar.

For the first time, immigrants on the flight were able to go through the full integration process and receive their Teudot Oleh (immigration certificates) on board, thus finalizing their aliyah process.

Israeli Interior and Health Minister Moshe Arbel said in a statement that he was happy that many new immigrants were “contributing to Israel’s main healthcare system”.

I wish all the olim success in their new life in Israel and I am convinced that they will make a significant contribution to strengthening the medical system in Israel. Welcome home,” added Arbel.

On the other hand, the chairman of the Jewish Agency, Major General (res.) Doron Almog, said that “with each flight of new olim arriving in Israel, we are promoting the realization of the Zionist dream and strengthening the State of Israel – The Only Miracle”.

Wednesday’s immigrants come from the United States and Canadian provinces, including New York, New Jersey, California, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, Ontario, Minnesota and Illinois . The main Israeli cities to which they move are Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Ra’anana, Beit Shemesh, Haifa, Afula and Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut.