New immigrants bound for Israel on Nefesh B’Nefesh flight ready for job search
Elana Zanger didn’t always plan to move to Israel, but she is “a really good wife” for “trying it out,” since her husband, Ethan Zanger, wanted to make aliyah, she told JNS at the gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Wednesday.“Put that in print,” Ethan Zanger told JNS, as they and their 3-year-old daughter, Serena, readied to fly to Israel aboard a Nefesh B’Nefesh group flight.“I got convinced,” Elana Zanger said. “My parents live there. My family’s there.”The Zangers, who previously lived in Teaneck, N.J., were among 40 new olim aboard the Aug. 26 Nefesh flight. Dozens of gap-year teens, some with guitars, were also aboard, bound for Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim in Beit Shemesh.With help from Elana Zanger’s parents, who live in Jerusalem, the family chose an Anglo-friendly community in Beit Shemesh, home, Ethan Zanger said, to many families from Teaneck and Bergenfield, N.J.“It’s a…
On August 26, a Nefesh B’Nefesh flight brought 40 new immigrants, including the Zanger family from Teaneck, N.J., and dozens of gap-year teens, to Israel. Many new olim, like Ethan Zanger, arrive without jobs, as Israeli employers often prefer candidates who are already in the country and authorized to work. Marc Rosenberg, Nefesh B’Nefesh’s Vice President of Diaspora Partnerships, noted that while 20% of the 4,500 expected olim in fiscal year 2026 might have remote jobs, the majority will seek employment upon arrival. He advises pre-aliyah networking but suggests waiting to apply for jobs until after arrival, as “They’re going to interview you and say, ‘When can you arrive?’”
- Nefesh B’Nefesh facilitates aliyah in partnership with Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, and JNF-USA.
- From June to September, over 2,300 people are making aliyah on 92 group flights, with an average age of 29.
- Leading destinations include Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, Ra’anana, and Beit Shemesh.
- Rosenberg emphasizes that Israel’s skills-focused employment culture allows for career changes, stating, “They don’t really care where you went to school.”
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