New olim disembark at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on the first charter aliyah flight since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, arriving to begin new lives in Israel. Photo: The Algemeiner

NEW YORK/TEL AVIV — Defying the uncertainty of war, 225 Jews arrived in Tel Aviv on the first charter aliyah flight since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, determined to start new lives and contribute to the country they now call home.

On Wednesday morning, Nefesh B’Nefesh — a nonprofit that promotes and facilitates aliyah from the United States and Canada — brought its 65th charter flight from New York to Tel Aviv.

Aliyah refers to the process of Jews immigrating to Israel.

With the most children yet on a single flight, this historic aliyah brought 45 families to their new homeland — 125 children among them, ranging from the youngest at 9 months to the oldest at 72.

Migrating from across the US and Canada, these newcomers and families are settling throughout Israel to build communities and begin new lives of service to the Jewish state. Among them are professionals in fields such as medicine, journalism, education, law, accounting, engineering, and many others.

During a farewell ceremony in New York, Nefesh B’Nefesh chairman and co-founder Tony Gelbart commended those on the flight, holding them up as examples of Jewish resilience and unity in the face of adversity

“You’re fulfilling your dream, but I believe you’re doing something even more important at this time,” Gelbart said in his speech.

“Not only are you helping Israel; you’re showing the world that Jews everywhere stand together and care for one another,” he continued.

Israeli Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer, who traveled to the US to see off the new olim (immigrants who moved to Israel) on their historic flight, also praised them for embarking on this new chapter in Israel.

“I want to thank each and every person who made the decision to make aliyah during the war. It strengthens our resilience and our solidarity, and I am truly proud of them,” Sofer told The Algemeiner.

“Since Oct. 7, we’ve seen that most people want to support Israel … but the highest form of solidarity is choosing to make aliyah,” the Israeli official said. “These individuals want to be part of what’s happening in Israel, make a meaningful difference, and stand with their people.”

Founded in 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh is dedicated to “strengthening the State of Israel by facilitating aliyah, advancing national service and development, and promoting Zionist education.”

Nefesh B’Nefesh, working alongside Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth, and the Jewish National Fund-USA, helps olim become fully integrated members of Israeli society.

To this day, they have assisted nearly 100,000 olim in establishing thriving lives in Israel, guiding them through the aliyah process.

Those who decide to make aliyah receive comprehensive support to help them transition smoothly into their new life, including guidance through the immigration process, access to community programs, health-care assistance, and employment resources.

The Israeli government also provides a range of support and resources to ease the transition and adaptation for those taking this significant step, including housing subsidies and higher education incentives for young olim and professionals pursuing studies in Israel.

“I believe we’ll see an increase in the number of people making aliyah in the coming years. It won’t happen overnight, but it will be a gradual process,” Sofer told The Algemeiner. “The trend is clear, and there is growing interest among many in taking this step.”

“We’re seeing numbers rise year by year, especially from Western countries like the UK, France, and North America, and I expect that trend to continue,” the Israeli minister said.

Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the US president and senior director for counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council, at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC, Aug. 19, 2025. Photo: Screenshot

A senior aide to US President Donald Trump on Tuesday repudiated controversial political commentator Tucker Carlson for promoting what he described as an isolationist foreign policy that’s hostile to Israel, suggesting that Carlson is “repackaging” the ideology of infamous paleoconservative intellectual Pat Buchanan.

Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council, made the comments while appearing for an event at the Hudson Institute, a prominent think tank in Washington, DC.

Moderator Michael Doran, a Hudson senior fellow and Middle East expert, asked Gorka to address the growth of anti-Israel, antisemitic sentiment on right-wing podcasts and social media.

“This wing of isolationism is nothing new. We had this 100 years ago, and this is just a poor, substandard repackaging of neo-Buchananite isolationism,” Gorka said in response.

“The Tucker right wing is basically, you know, Pat Buchanan in a new guise. It is actually a shallower version. Pat is far smarter than this version of isolationism,” Gorka continued.

Carlson, a right-wing podcaster and former Fox News host, has repeatedly argued on his podcast that the US should withdraw from costly foreign entanglements and focus on domestic issues. That perspective has led him to sharply criticize US support for Israel, which he has framed as an unnecessary drain on American resources and a distraction from pressing challenges at home.

Carlson has often warned that Washington’s commitments to its allies, particularly in the Middle East, risk dragging the United States into wars that he believes serve little purpose for the average American family. His rhetoric has placed him at odds with more traditional conservatives who view support for Israel as central to US foreign policy.

In June, Carlson clashed with US Sen. Ted Cruzhttps://www.algemeiner.com/2025/06/18/ted-cruz-defends-aipac-foreign-influence-claims-accuses-tucker-carlson-antisemitism/ (R-Texas) over the latter’s support for Israel and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a lobbying group that promotes bipartisan support for a strong US-Israel relationship. During the tense interview, Cruz called out Carlson over his “obsession” with the world’s lone Jewish state.

“You’re asking, ‘Why are the Jews controlling our foreign policy?’” Cruz stated. “If you’re not an antisemite, give me another reason why the obsession is Israel.”

Carlson recently came under fire for interviewing Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian but not pushing back against his claims or challenging the leader on Iran’s nuclear program or human rights record.

Meanwhile, Buchanan regularly courted controversy with provocative statements depicting the so-called “Israel lobby” as a sinister force swaying US policy — even claiming Capitol Hill is “Israeli occupied territory.” He has also cast doubt on established Holocaust history, minimizing atrocities at Treblinka, and framed Jewish influence in ways many critics condemned as antisemitic. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) branded him an “unrepentant bigot” and claimed that he “repeatedly demonizes Jews and minorities and openly affiliates with white supremacists.”

Gorka dismissed the vocal chorus of isolationist, anti-Israel conservatives as “probably half a dozen very loud people on Twitter [now officially called X] and Rumble.” He emphasized that isolationist ideologues such as Carlson are not representative of the broader conservative political base. 

“I mean, you get out of the miasma, the cesspit that is social media and you talk to representative MAGA [Make America Great Again] of the 80 million that put the president back in the White House,” Gorka said. “They don’t think that we should pull down the shutters on the Pacific and the Atlantic coast. They don’t think that Israel is the reason for [Hamas’s attack on Israel on] October the 7th. They actually have a very special place in their heart for Israel, and they don’t think that hospitals being bombed in Ukraine is a good thing.”

Gorka added that the Americans people will not be easily swayed by the isolationist wing of the conservative movement. 

“One of the most trenchant, indicative characteristics for me of the American people is common sense. They understand who was responsible for October the 7th. They understand who Vladimir Putin is,” Gorka said. 

Doran argued during the event that the anti-Israel wing of conservatism maintains “no hold” on Trump. 

“It’s clear that that President Trump is not listening to them, making decisions in a completely different way,” Doran said. “I mean, he basically signaled it with that Truth Social posting where he said, ‘Who’s going to tell kooky Tucker Carlson that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon?”

“Show Your Jewish Pride” rally at George Washington University G Street Park on May 2, 2024. Photo: Dion J. Pierre

To the Jewish students stepping onto campus — especially those who carry Zionism close to your heart — this moment is exciting, but it can also feel daunting.

College promises discovery, freedom, and growth. You’ll meet professors who open doors to ideas you’ve never considered, and you’ll form friendships that might stay with you for life. You’ll learn to see the world differently by encountering people whose backgrounds and perspectives are not your own. And along the way, you’ll also come to notice the small, grounding joys: a sunset after a tough day, an amazing meal shared far from home, or laughter echoing down the dorm hallway late at night.

But let me be clear: the campus you are entering is also filled with hostility and hate. You already know this. Israel has become a lightning rod for rage. And rarely is it spoken of with fairness or depth. Too often, slogans replace understanding. Israel is caricatured as a monolith of oppression. Zionism is dismissed as a moral failing. Posters, petitions, and protests make sweeping charges that ignore Jewish history and complexity. A word spoken in class can invite suspicion. Even silence is treated as guilt.

And the deepest pain may come from within. Some of your fellow Jews, often the loudest in Jewish campus spaces, will reject you for being a Zionist. That betrayal cuts more sharply than insults from strangers. To be pushed aside by your own people for loving Israel is not just isolating — it feels like exile within exile.

I want you to know: I see this clearly. I will not minimize it. The ugliness is real. You are not imagining it.

And yet — this is not the whole story. You are not as alone as you may feel in those moments. There are professors who still believe in open inquiry. Who will hear you out, even when they disagree. There are peers — Jewish and not — who understand the unfairness of singling out one people for relentless condemnation. There are vibrant organizations and communities nearby: Hillel chapters, Chabad houses, student Jewish unions, local synagogues, alumni mentors, and informal networks of supportive students. There are rabbis, chaplains, and laypeople ready to listen, guide, and champion you. Reach out. You will find others who will stand with you. The strength of Jewish life is that we never face our challenges in isolation.

You will also find anchors — moments that remind you who you are. The laughter of friends around a Sabbath table. The stirring words of Hatikvah sung in unison far from Israel’s shores. Festival foods, a prayer, the soft glow of candlelight, a melody from home. A professor praising the nuance of your argument. A peer defending you quietly in conversation. A campus lecture that expands your mind rather than trying to silence it. These moments are not trivial. They are reminders of why your convictions matter. Why your people endures.

Jewish history itself offers the deepest well of resilience. For centuries, our ancestors lived in exile yet clung to memory and hope. “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill,” cries Psalm 137 — a verse whispered in Babylon, sung in Spain, wept over in Eastern Europe, recited in every corner of exile. That was not nostalgia. It was a vow. A vow of continuity. Of resilience. Of return. That vow carried our people through pogroms, expulsions, and even the Shoah. And it is because of that vow that you walk onto campus today as a free Jew. Able to claim your identity openly. Zionism is not a political slogan. It is the lived continuation of that vow.

The Torah urges courage in the face of fear. “Be strong and have courage, do not fear and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9). That promise was true when Joshua marched across the Jordan River. And it remains true when you step into a seminar room where suspicion surrounds you. God’s presence and your history does not end at the synagogue door. It follows you into lecture halls, dining commons, dorm rooms, and late-night debates. To remember that is to reclaim your footing when the ground feels shaky.

And never forget this: your particular love for Israel is not a betrayal of universal ideals. To stand with your people is not to stand against others. To care for Israel is not to deny Palestinian dignity. To carry your heritage with conviction is not an act of exclusion — it is an act of integrity.

You will break down in tears at times; I certainly have done so more often than I can count since the October 7th massacre. Certainly, there will be moments of exhaustion, loneliness, and doubt. But as noted in Jeremiah 31, (15- 17), even in tears, your labor has meaning; your steadfastness carries hope forward. Every time you hold fast and every time you refuse to hide who you are, you plant seeds for a future you may not see, but that others will harvest.

Our people have always carried this burden and this gift. In Babylon, Jews hung their harps on the willows and still sang of Jerusalem. In Spain, amid expulsion, families clung to Torah scrolls as they crossed into exile. In the Warsaw Ghetto, with nothing left to lose, Jews lit candles and whispered blessings into the darkness. In the Soviet Union, refuseniks risked everything just to teach Hebrew in secret. At every turn, the Jewish story has proclaimed the same truth: we endure. We carry forward. We do not let go.

You are part of that story now. You stand in their line. On their shoulders. With their strength.

You are not alone. You never have been. And you never will be.

Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.