Nearly 3,000 new and veteran immigrants from a number of English, French, Spanish and Russian speaking countries participated in the first-ever Aliyah Klita Expo at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds on July 28. The all-day event, created by International Media Placement Group and sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh, Ha’aretz and Orange and others provided a unique opportunity for Olim of all ages to secure information and purchase a potpourri of services from oleh organizations, banks, universities, cell phone, healthcare, insurance and real estate companies.
"With the large numbers of new immigrants who’ve come to Israel during the past few years, we felt that no one should take Olim for granted, especially when they have the means to purchase services that will improve their daily lives. By creating these types of one-stop, all inclusive service events, we believe new and veteran immigrants will now have full access to what they seek and deserve," said Gidon Katz, a partner within International Media Placement Group.
Several new immigrants, who arrived on a Nefesh B’Nefesh flight from Los Angeles less than 24 hours earlier, were actually able to pick up their new Israeli identity cards at the expo. "It was important for many different members of our staff to be at this event because we were able to provide useful information and answers to questions from both new and veteran Olim, "said a Nefesh B’Nefesh spokesperson.
Several Israeli cities, who’ve attracted growing numbers of English, French and Russian speaking immigrants also found the Aliyah Klita Expo to be a unique venue to attract new residents.
"This has been a fascinating event because it attracted so many different types of people, who had the time and patience to listen what our city had to offer in terms of quality of life, community services, Ulpan courses, real estate and education," remarked Cherie Albucher, Project Coordinator, Aliyah Kehilatit Program in the city of Modiin’s Absorption Department.
For Shira Betesh, a spokesperson for Tel Aviv University’s (TAU) Security & Diplomacy Program, the Aliyah Klita Expo was the perfect place to entice a variety of new students for their renowned English-language courses. "TAU attracts hundreds of Anglos to the campus every year because of the university’s diverse educational experiences, which includes 14 different undergraduate program tracks in English, as well as our year-round English Ulpan courses," said Betesh.
