Sarah Kantor and her colleagues at Nefesh B’Nefesh are 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 just gotten easier.
“We were thinking of how to help more people come to Israel and be successful,” reports Kantor, the organization’s CMO and herself an olah of 18 years from Kingston, Ontario in Canada. “Aliyah in One was a way to look at the pain points and address them in the best possible way.”
At the 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, it gives participants the opportunity to 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, Kantor notes, “have been statistically shown to move people along—it is a good investment of time! 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 will consist of two overlapping events for people at various stages of their aliyah journey and process.
The Aliyah-in-One component is geared for those 6 to 12 months away from aliyah. The Community and Education Fair is for those at any stage in the application process or potentially considering aliyah in the future.
The joint fairs will offer a wide range of services, including meetings with municipal representatives from communities throughout Israel; opportunities to speak with olim from Ashkelon, Karmei Gat, Karmei Hanadiv, Karmiel and Pardes Hanna about daily life in their communities; and sessions on the education system and youth movements.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to meet with NBN aliyah advisors, learn about the International Medical Aliyah Program, and learn about NBN Connect Recruitment Services and Hebrew Connect Ulpan.
Sponsors include World Zionist Organization Department for the Promotion of Aliyah, Ofek Israel, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration.
Brent Weinberg, 30, and wife Alissa, 28, of Stamford, Conn., their 3-year-old son, Netanel (Tani), and newborn daughter, Nessa, born two days before Brent spoke by phone with JNS, will attend the October Aliyah-in-One fair. Brent proudly reports, “She may be the youngest person to ever make aliyah with Nefesh B’Nefesh!”
The Weinbergs attended a similar event two years ago in Teaneck, N.J., “to obtain documents.” Their aliyah was delayed for various family circumstances, and they will now attend the event in October “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 feeling confident the event will go well. “Our aliyah advisor has been amazing. She helped us through lots of questions and we are feeling very confident.”
The Weinbergs will start their new life in Israel by living close to many family members. The couple, both accountants, will “spend many Shabbatot in other communities” and will ultimately decide where they want to live longer term. Carmei Gat is a top contender at the moment.
They are most excited about living in Israel as it will offer their children “chinuch” (Jewish education) and a decent environment to grow up in “where everything is based on the Jewish calendar.”
The Weinbergs report that they are the first in their group of friends to make aliyah, though others 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.
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 Rubenstein 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, NJ. 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,” reports Elisa. “When I heard about the all-in-one fair, we put it at the top of our list!”
The Rubensteins set out for the fair. “The trip that was supposed to be one hour took three hours due to New York traffic. Nefesh B’Nefesh was very kind. It was a half hour before closing. 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 advisor in person at the event. She was pleased with how helpful and friendly her aliyah advisor and everyone at NBN were throughout the aliyah process. “It made it all worthwhile. We got all organized. And here I am!”
Elisa is part of her apartment building’s va’ad bayit (house committee) and her husband continues to write, lecture and teach. The Rubinsteins continue to ask themselves daily, “How did we get zocheh (worthy) to live here?” She adds, “I can’t get over it—how many Jews are there on the planet? 14 million? How many are zocheh to live in Israel? A few million? And how many get to live in Jerusalem? And in Rechavia!” We pinch ourselves every day!”
Approximately 2,700 North Americans have made aliyah since the beginning of 2026, all 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.
NBN estimates that more than 4,000 will make aliyah by the end of the year. Among the olim are a growing number of singles under 30, young families, and retirees. NBN reports that this summer’s olim include approximately 1,100 singles, 480 families and 250 retirees, ranging in age from 5 months to 98 years.
For more information, go to the Nefesh B’Nefesh website.
