More than 1,100 Jews from the United States and Canada made aliyah, the Hebrew term for immigration to Israel, in August alone, marking the busiest month for North American immigration in the history of Nefesh B’Nefesh, the nonprofit that facilitates the process. The wave arrived even as the region remains gripped by war and uncertainty, a fact that organizers and government officials say makes the numbers more striking, not less.
On Thursday, roughly 150 new olim, the Hebrew word for Jewish immigrants to Israel, landed in Tel Aviv, with close to 100 arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport within a single half-hour window. Their arrival capped a summer that has seen more than 2,200 North American immigrants, including some 480 families, land in Israel on nearly 100 organized group flights between June and September. Since the start of 2026, approximately 2,700 North American Jews have made aliyah, and Nefesh B’Nefesh now projects the year-end total will surpass 4,000, which would rank among the strongest years for North American immigration since the organization’s founding in 2002.
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, called the surge a direct reflection of Jewish resolve. “The historic wave of aliyah we are experiencing this summer is the most moving testimony to the resilience of the Jewish people and to the deep connection between North American Jewry and the State of Israel,” Fass said. “The fact that thousands of families and young people are choosing to relocate their lives and build their futures here, especially at this time, is a Zionist shot in the arm and an enormous engine of growth for Israeli society and the economy.”
The demographic profile of this summer’s arrivals points to a younger, more service-oriented generation. The average age of the newcomers is 29, down from roughly 32 just two years ago. “The average age of families last year, two years ago, used to be around 32. It’s 29 this summer,” a Nefesh B’Nefesh official said. “So we see some younger families that are coming.” The wave includes approximately 1,100 single men and women, 480 families, and 250 retirees, ranging in age from five months to 98 years old. Around 700 children and teenagers, including 80 entering first grade, are set to begin the Israeli school year, while 300 young immigrants are expected to enlist in the IDF or National Service once settled.
The newcomers are arriving with professional training that spans medicine, nursing, education, law, and accounting, drawn primarily from New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, and Ontario, with additional numbers from Maryland, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Georgia. Most will settle in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Beit Shemesh, Ra’anana, Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, and Haifa. Roughly 650 immigrants are heading to the Negev and Galilee through the “Zinuk Ba’Aliyah” program, a joint initiative with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund designed to build up Israel’s national priority regions in the south and north.
Aliyah Minister Ofir Sofer framed the numbers as validation of recent government policy. “In recent years, we have led significant processes at the Aliyah and Integration Ministry and laid the groundwork to encourage aliyah and ensure the optimal integration of immigrants from Western countries and around the world,” Sofer said. “The range of programs and reforms we have advanced will help immigrants integrate into their communities and the workforce, and will contribute to strengthening the State of Israel socially, economically, and in terms of security.”
Jewish Agency chairman Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog placed the statistics in personal terms. “Behind each of the 1,100 immigrants who arrived from North America over the past month is a story of choice. Families, children, young people, and professionals who chose to build their lives here and be part of the future of the State of Israel,” Almog said. “They arrive here with their dreams, their abilities, and their desire to contribute, and in doing so they strengthen Israeli society and the country as a whole.”
Nefesh B’Nefesh operates in partnership with Israel’s Aliyah and Integration Ministry, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, guiding immigrants from their first paperwork abroad through full absorption into Israeli life. The organization has now helped nearly 100,000 olim build new lives in the country since its founding.
The timing tells its own story. Thousands of American and Canadian Jews are not waiting for calm to make their decision. They are packing their homes, enrolling their children in Israeli schools, and preparing their sons and daughters for service in the IDF while the region is still at war. That is not a pause in Zionist commitment. It is Zionism functioning exactly as it was built to.
