A Rosh Hashanah holiday celebration for 10 new olim took place in the office of the Minister of Aliyah and Absorption in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata was in attendance as well as the President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) Yael Eckstein, and the new olim who arrived within Israel in the past year.
Another 100 olim joined the celebration via video.
Other participants included Director-General of the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption Ronen Cohen, and Director-General of The Fellowship in Israel Yigal Ben-Shalom.
Olim shared their aliyah and absorption stories.
For example, Romina came to Israel with her family at age 4, but returned to Argentina at 14. Since then, she married and had a family, but never gave up on her dream of returning to Israel.
The Fellowship helped her achieve that dream. At the event, she said: “This is so inspiring. We are so pleased with the wonderful support we have received. The Fellowship is available to us for the small things we need for daily life, as well as for the big things, and its staff members are always looking for ways to help us”.
Eckstein said, “In the last year, I had the privilege of welcoming thousands of new olim who arrived in Israel from every corner of the world. The Fellowship, in collaboration with the Ministry of Absorption, helped thousands olim make aliyah just in the last year.
“Aliyah is at the heart of Zionism and has always been a key part of the work of The Fellowship. I made aliyah to Israel, as did Minister Shata, and we both know that it’s not easy to come to a new country, become accustomed a new culture, and learn a new language. I want to thank Minister Shata who works day and night for the olim, and I wish them all a quick and successful absorption in Israel. “It’s such an honor to be part of this work, and I want to thank our hundreds of thousands of Fellowship donors who make it possible”.