Nefesh b’ Nefesh. Soul to Soul. On Tuesday, August 7, 2007, several hundred souls transplanted themselves from the United States to Israel as they made Aliyah to the promised land. These folks, married with children, dual incomes with no children and 30 youngsters ready to go straight into the armed services and train to defend their tiny new homeland in the Middle East landed at Ben Gurion Airport at 7:15 a.m. on the tarmac outside of Terminal 1 and were bused to the gate in three large buses. Nefesh b’Nefesh, an amazing and vibrant organization led by Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, assists people from around the world in making Aliyah and acclimating to life in Israel, was there to greet them.
So was former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Tony Gelbart, Nefesh b’Nefesh’s founder, leaders from the armed services and El Al Airlines, friends and families of the Olims (“Oleems” or new immigrants) and other Israelis who came out to mark the occasion. And so were 7 members of the Israel Baseball League.
Jason Bonder (Tel Aviv), Steve Raab (Ra’anana), Ben Englehart (Netanya), Dan Saltzman (Modi’in), Scott Perlman (Bet Shemesh) and Alan Gardner (Bet Shemesh) met and greeted the new Israeli citizens. It was a moving experience for everyone involved.
The crowd got to hear a poignant speech from Mr. Netanyahu about just how special it is to be a part of the Israeli landscape, both literally and figuratively. He spoke of climbing Tel Shiloh, a major historical location that includes the ruins of the original capital of Israel that date back several thousand years. He also spoke of the common bond shared by Israelis, who, while they do not always agree on major issues and how to accomplish certain goals, all agree on the absolute necessity of preserving the Jewish homeland. We also heard from other dignitaries before it was announced that members of the new IBL were present.
The response was fantastic. American Jewish Olin swarmed the players for autographs, photo ops, tickets to the championship game, yearbooks and to talk baseball and about their monumental moves to Israel. It was an incredible experience and demonstrated the ability of our great game to grab a real foothold in Israel. Indeed, newcomers from the Furmansky family of Staten Island and East Meadow, New York showed up at Gezer for the Blue Sox/Pioneers match-up that evening, getting autographs and taking photographs with the players.
The IBL contingent all were surprised by how emotional the experience was for them. Jason Bonder will be attending the Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan this fall. For Jason, it was an extremely touching experience to see family upon family exiting the buses dedicated to raising their children in Israel and becoming a part of the fabric of the larger Jewish community that makes up most of Israel. Scott Perlman noted the contrast between how people generally immigrate to the United States to pursue the opportunity for greater financial and other material rewards while the people we met had generally left financial success to come to Israel for a greater purpose, to share a national community in the homeland of the Jewish people…to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Ben Englehart felt such a strong feeling of unity, family and belonging that he wished he’d already packed his bags to join the newcomers. Steve Raab was awestruck by the joy and happiness he saw on the faces of the Olin as they embraced family and friends waiting to greet them. Dan Saltzman’s brother made Aliyah last year. He was reminded of the emotions of his brother and his family as he watched families leaving the buses with their children and picking up their luggage to start their new lives as Israelis dedicated to preserving, serving and improving the Jewish homeland.
The outing was a huge success for the league as the IBLers got significant attention from the Olin and their guests. And Nefesh b’Nefesh leaders were excited about having the IBL be special guests at welcoming ceremonies in the future. The gravy was that our participation became a very special part of the IBL members Israel experience this summer. Who knows if one or more of us will be on one of those Nefesh b’Nefesh planes one day…
Written by Alan Gardner, outfielder for the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
© Alan Gardner, 2007
