‘Aliyah in One’ makes aliyah easier for aspiring North American immigrants

Sarah Kantor and her colleagues at Nefesh B’Nefesh are well aware of the bureaucracy, frustrations and obstacles potential olim (immigrants) face as they navigate the aliyah process. With “Aliyah in One,” a series of one-day events held across North America, the process has gotten easier.

“We were thinking of how to help more people come to Israel and be successful,” said Kantor, the organization’s chief marketing officer and herself an olah of 18 years from Kingston, Ontario. “Aliyah in One was a way to look at the pain points and address them in the best possible way.”

At Aliyah in One events, key agencies, service providers and vendors involved in the aliyah process come together under one roof. The events give future olim an opportunity to take care of a number of important aliyah-related tasks in one place, from finalizing documents and interviewing with the Jewish Agency for Israel to obtaining federal background checks and accessing apostille services.

Most importantly, participants receive face-to-face guidance and support in a true “one-stop shop” setting as they prepare for aliyah.

Kantor and her colleagues had observed that “there were issues with certain technical pieces of the process and that people were getting stuck and struggling to move past certain parts.”

“These events have been statistically shown to move people along—it is a good investment of time,” she said. “Olim who come really appreciate it.”

The Sunday, Oct. 11, event in Queens, N.Y., will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and consist of two overlapping events for people at various stages of their aliyah journey. The Aliyah in One component is geared toward those six to 12 months away from aliyah, while the Community and Education Fair is for those at any stage in the application process or considering aliyah in the future.

The joint fairs will offer a wide range of services, including meetings with municipal representatives from communities throughout Israel to hear about the services they offer; opportunities to speak with olim from such communities as Ashkelon, Carmei Gat, Carmei HaNadiv, Karmiel and Pardes Hanna about daily life; and sessions on the education system and youth movements.

Attendees will also have an opportunity to meet with Nefesh B’Nefesh aliyah advisers and learn about the International Medical Aliyah Program, NBN Connect Recruitment Services and Hebrew Connect Ulpan.

Sponsors include the World Zionist Organization’s Department for the Promotion of Aliyah, Ofek Israel, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration.

Brent Weinberg, 30, and his wife, Alissa, 28, of Stamford, Conn., plan to attend the October fair with their 3-year-old son, Netanel (Tani), and newborn daughter, Nessa, who was born two days before Brent spoke by phone with JNS.

“She may be the youngest person to ever make aliyah with Nefesh B’Nefesh!” he said.

The Weinbergs attended a similar event two years ago in Teaneck, N.J., “to obtain documents.” Their aliyah was delayed due to family circumstances, and they will now attend the October event “to go for the interview with the Jewish Agency.” They view this as their final step before making aliyah by the end of 2026.

They are confident that the event will go well.

“Our aliyah adviser has been amazing,” Weinberg said. “She helped us through lots of questions and we are feeling very confident.”

The Weinbergs will start their new life in Israel in Efrat, close to many family members. Brent playfully noted, “It will be nice to start off living rent-free.”

Both accountants, the couple plan to “spend many Shabbatot in other communities” before ultimately deciding where they want to settle long-term. Carmei Gat is currently a top contender.

They are most excited about living in Israel because it will offer their children “chinuch” (Jewish education) and an environment in which to grow up “where everything is based on the Jewish calendar.”

The Weinbergs said they are the first in their group of friends to make aliyah, though other friends are “also interested.”

‘Like connecting the dots’

Professor Yoram Bucker, 54, spoke with JNS four days before his planned Labor Day aliyah from Jupiter, Fla., to Beit Shemesh.

“It is the last aliyah flight out before the chagim,” he said, joking that his wife was “doing it all” in terms of their aliyah preparations.

The math professor and chair of the Mathematics Department at Woodmont College will continue working remotely after his aliyah. His wife, Jennifer, 52, an engineer, will also continue to work remotely.

Bucker, whose 21-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son will not be joining them on aliyah, said that “the whole family is lifelong Zionists” and that the children are excited for them.

“We are fulfilling Hashem’s commandment to settle the land and the ingathering of the exiles, and hopefully leading to redemption and to the coming of the Moshiach,” he said.

The Buckers emphasized how smooth the aliyah process had been and how useful the Aliyah in One fair they attended in Boca Raton, Fla., was. Bucker recalled attending a similar fair 20 years ago.

“It makes it as simple as going to the grocery store or picking up a food order in a drive-through window,” he said. “Everything is laid out so clearly. It was so basic and easy to follow. It was like connecting the dots.”

Bucker felt that the Florida event he attended six months ago allowed him to “bypass many layers of bureaucracy and red tape.”

“It shielded us from it all,” he said. “It was like driving in the express lane on the highway.”

The event helped the couple collect the necessary documentation, learn how to have it certified and receive information about Israel’s health-care system, employment opportunities and schools.

“Everyone was so gracious—I couldn’t figure out who was more excited, the participants or the staff,” Bucker said. “They were all angels from heaven. They were so kind and supportive.”

‘We pinch ourselves every day’

Elisa and Rabbi Yehudah Yonah Rubinstein made aliyah to Jerusalem in March 2025, just 10 months after putting the finishing touches on their aliyah process at the May 2024 Aliyah in One fair in Teaneck, N.J.

They made the long drive from Long Island to Teaneck to help navigate the bureaucracy they had been encountering.

“Israel is one of the most technologically advanced countries on the planet, yet the bureaucracy is from the Ottoman Empire,” Elisa said. “When I heard about the Aliyah in One fair, we put it at the top of our list!”

The trip that was supposed to take an hour took three hours because of New York traffic, and they arrived only half an hour before the fair closed.

“Nefesh B’Nefesh was very kind,” she recalled. “The first person we spoke to wasn’t sure how he could help. Nefesh B’Nefesh staff then helped us take care of two things. The Jewish Agency looked at our binder to see what was left to do, and we got our FBI fingerprints processed.”

Elisa was also excited to meet her aliyah adviser in person and praised the support she received from Nefesh B’Nefesh throughout the process.

“It made it all worthwhile,” she said. “We got all organized. And here I am!”

Today, Elisa is part of her Jerusalem apartment building’s va’ad bayit (residential committee), while her husband continues to write, lecture and teach.

The Rubinsteins continue to ask themselves daily, “How did we get zocheh [merit] to live here?”

“I can’t get over it—how many Jews are there on the planet? Fourteen million? How many are zocheh to live in Israel? A few million? And how many get to live in Jerusalem? And in Rehavia!” she said. “We pinch ourselves every day!”

Some 2,700 North Americans have made aliyah since the beginning of 2026, facilitated by Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and Jewish National Fund-USA. Nefesh B’Nefesh estimates that more than 4,000 North Americans will make aliyah by the end of the year.