The timing could not have been better: Welcome to Charlie Smith, the 74,000th immigrant from North America, who immigrated last Wednesday with the help of the Soul in the Soul organization.
Charlie, who immigrated to Israel just before the country celebrates 74, joined his partner Shaked, whom he met on a "discovery" trip and immigrated to Israel earlier this month.
"It's always burned inside me to go up, since the first time I was in Israel with high school," explains Charlie, who was born in Minnesota, Minneapolis.
"When Shaked moved to the United States, she did not want to be one of those Israelis who never return to Israel.
But still, there were moments I wanted to move to Israel more than her.
So I would tell her, 'You can stay in America, but I'm moving to Israel. "
Shaked landed in Israel in early April as an "immigrant citizen," with the couple's infant son, Adar.
Charlie joins them today and with him their two dogs, a man and Pamela.
Together they will celebrate Independence Day this week, as Israelis.
The couple Charlie and Shaked, Photo: Yonit Schiller
Rabbi Yehoshua Pess, founder and CEO of Nefesh Benefesh, congratulated Charlie and the rest of the new immigrants. "North Americans who have immigrated with us during the 20 years since we were founded, and are happy that they are part of the celebration of independence this year."
Draw independence
At the same time, more new immigrants are joining in for Israel's birthday.
Dozens of children who escaped the horrors of the war in Ukraine and were absorbed into Israel by the JNF, gathered at the "Field and Forest" center in Ness Harim, where they are staying, as a tribute to the country's birthday.
In an aerial photo taken in the center of the JNF field in Ness Harim, the children created the number 74, as the number of years of Israel.
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