ICEJ sponsors Aliyah flight for 226 Jewish immigrants from FSU
Published on: 15.3.2021Press Statement by: David Parsons, ICEJ VP & Senior Int. Spokesman
A group of 226 Jewish immigrants from across the former Soviet Union landed at the re-opened Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday evening on a ‘rescue flight’ arranged by The Jewish Agency for Israel and sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.
Many of these new arrivals had been planning to make Aliyah several months ago, but were delayed by a third major lockdown in Israel amid a mass vaccination campaign. Some had already sold their homes and quit their jobs and were left in limbo as Ben-Gurion was completely shut down for the first time ever in January. But the skies are now opening back up, and these immigrants are part of the daily quota of passengers who can enter Israel at this time.
Many of these immigrants also needed lengthy connecting flights, traversing up to eight time zones from across the former Soviet republics, before boarding the final four-hour flight to Tel Aviv this afternoon. They will be required to undergo quarantine and other measures due to corona health regulations in Israel.
Even with most international travel still disrupted due to COVID-19, Israel and the Jewish Agency have been working to arrange emergency flights for Jewish immigrants from various regions around the world, which also are bringing back Israeli citizens from abroad.
The Christian Embassy has now supported Aliyah flights for over 780 Jewish olim since the start of 2021, including some 500 Ethiopian immigrants as part of “Operation Rock of Israel.”
Although global air travel has been severely curtailed over the past year, there are still thousands of Jews making the move to Israel. Interest in Aliyah is actually on the rise, as many Jewish families worldwide now view Israel as safer health-wise and better positioned for economic recovery than other countries. Israeli and Jewish Agency officials anticipate up to 250,000 new Jewish immigrants to arrive over the next three to five years.
“It is exciting to be part of another large flight of Jewish families making the move to Israel,” said ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler. “Supporting Aliyah is one of the core missions of the Christian Embassy, and this season of the corona pandemic has actually been one of the most critical phases of our four decades of involvement in bringing Jewish people back to their homeland. Indeed, corona has given added meaning to Israel’s calling as a ‘safe haven’ for the Jewish people.”
Since its founding in September 1980, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has now assisted over 160,000 Jews in making Aliyah to Israel from some 36 countries worldwide.
Photos Courtesy of JAFI
For more information, contact:
David Parsons
Vice President & Senior International Spokesman
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem