Aliyah organization Nefesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF-USA, recently held the Impact Israel conferences. The two events took place in mid-November in New York and Los Angeles.

The event featured information-packed sessions on various aspects of working and studying in Israel, with breakout sessions discussing how to thrive professionally in Israel, the benefits of Aliyah, life in the Israel Defense Forces, and an Israeli university marketplace, which explored options to acquire a free graduate degree. In addition to the breakout sessions, informal meet-ups focused on the experiences of Lone Soldiers, those who immigrated without immediate family and served in the IDF, alumni of the MASA Israel Experience program, entrepreneurs and more.

“Over the past three years, we have been seeing an increase of interest in Aliyah from millennials across North America, whose main concerns have been their professional and educational possibilities in Israel,” explained Marc Rosenberg, Pre-Aliyah Director at Nefesh B’Nefesh. “As part of our efforts to assist these future Olim, we thought it would be very beneficial for those contemplating the move to meet and hear from six former Olim from an array of professional and social backgrounds who can present firsthand how they too can make an impact to Israel.”

Participants said that they were interested in making a serious effort in Israel, many because they felt they would be safer there as Jews, and that they would be able to embrace their heritage more effectively. In addition, many of the participants said they were very impressed with Israel’s advanced technology economy, and wanted to be part of it.

Others said that they hoped to be able to attend college or graduate school, calling it “the land of opportunity for Jews.” According to Yekutiel, one of the participants, “everything here in the States is going down, and everything in Israel is going up.”