August 21, 2006 / 27 Av 5766

Towards the last days of battle up North, the Jewish Agency Board of Governors' Aliyah Committee organized a solidarity mission in a matter of days. They then flew to Israel to lend support to northern residents.

The two day tour (August 16-17) provided the mission with much food for thought. Foremost, it helped the committee to gain deeper insights into the Jewish Agency's activities and programs designed to help the residents up North and also to gauge the Jewish Agency's coping skills in times of emergency.



The tour included a visit to the Safed and Kiryat Yam Absorption Centers to view the damage sustained during the war.

At the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, they visited and gave support to the wounded. They also met with aliyah representatives from Kiryat Bialik, one of the northern towns affected by the war.


Rabbi Marcelo Rittner of Mexico, a BOG Aliyah Committee member, recites a prayer for a speedy recovery, for Boris, a Golani soldier injured in battle.

On a different note, the committee was on hand to greet new Ethiopian arrivals and witness their initial absorption process at Ben Gurion Airport.