New Immigrants to Israel Honored with a Send-Off at the Embassy of Israel
June 28, 2007

The Embassy of Israel, in cooperation with the Israel Aliyah Center of the Jewish Agency for Israel, hosted a reception honoring the 220 people from the greater Washington area who are immigrating to Israel this year.

Above: group photo at the event

The honorees, from 6 months to 82 years old, represent the full spectrum of North American Jewry, running the full gamut of religious and political beliefs. Amongst the immigrants are doctors and lawyers, students and dentists, housewives and computer engineers, informal educators and PhDs, scientists and graphic designers.

Speakers at the reception included His Excellency, Sallai Meridor, Ambassador of Israel to the United States, Neil Gillman of the Jewish Agency for Israel and Reeva Ninio of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

The number of immigrants from North America has risen annually from 2,040 individuals in 2002 to 3,201 in 2006 with a figure of 3,500 projected for 2007.

The Hebrew word for immigration (aliyah) means ascent or a spiritual going up.

Aliyah - the ingathering of the exiles - is a fundamental aspiration of Zionism and the State of Israel. The Law of Return (1950), grants every Jew the right to come to Israel as an immigrant and become a citizen. Since the establishment of the State, more than two and a half million immigrants have arrived; their expertise and talents have contributed immeasurably to the country's economic, scientific, academic and cultural life.

For more information about Aliyah please visit Aliyah Facts and the Jewish Agency for Israel.