When Hamas terrorists tore through the farming communities of the Gaza border on October 7, they left behind burned sheds, wrecked machinery and fields no one could harvest. Within days, Danielle Abraham, a London-born Olah who had spent years bringing Israeli agricultural expertise to countries battling drought and food insecurity, turned her attention homeward and launched ReGrow Israel to get those farms running again.
The initiative has since expanded to farms and communities damaged by the war in the North. This year, it earned Abraham the Global Impact award at the 12th annual Nefesh B’Nefesh Sylvan Adams Bonei Zion Prize, and her story captures what this year's prize is about.
The Bonei Zion ("Builders of Zion") Prize recognizes Olim from English-speaking countries whose professional achievements and community leadership have made a lasting impact on Israeli society. This year's eight recipients were selected from hundreds of nominees from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. They are being honored at a moment when Israel is still rebuilding from war, and when more North American Jews than ever are choosing to follow in their footsteps.
A record year for Aliyah
The Bonei Zion Prize lands in a year that Nefesh B'Nefesh says is shaping up to be one of its strongest since the organization was founded in 2002. More than 1,100 North Americans made Aliyah through Nefesh B'Nefesh in August alone, a monthly record for the organization. "It's record-breaking for us," Marc Rosenberg, Nefesh B'Nefesh's vice president of Diaspora partnerships, told The Jerusalem Post at Ben-Gurion Airport as another 150 Olim landed.
Approximately 2,700 North Americans had made Aliyah by the end of August, and the organization expects the total to pass 4,000 by year's end. Rosenberg said interest in Aliyah has been climbing by three to five percent annually in recent years.
Many of the newcomers are heading to precisely the regions that bore the brunt of the war: around 650 of this summer’s North American Olim moved to the periphery in the North and South. For prize sponsor Sylvan Adams, himself a Nefesh B'Nefesh Oleh who made Aliyah a decade ago, the connection between the honorees and the new arrivals is the point.
"In the wake of the immense challenges Israel and Jewish communities around the world have faced over the past year, these stories of commitment, resilience, and contribution carry even greater meaning," said Adams, president of the World Jewish Congress Israel Region. "At a time when we are working to encourage greater Aliyah and strengthen Israel through the vision of bringing one million new Olim to Israel, these honorees embody the very best of what Aliyah represents."
Builders in every field
Alongside Abraham, this year's Bonei Zion Prize recipients span science, education, social welfare, sport and diplomacy.
In the Community & Non-Profit category, the prize goes to Naomi Stuchiner, founder of Beit Issie Shapiro, one of Israel's leading organizations serving people with disabilities and their families, work whose importance has only grown as Israel confronts the physical and emotional toll of the war.
Rabbanit Chana Henkin, founder and chancellor of Nishmat, is recognized in Education for building one of the country's foremost institutions of advanced Torah learning for women. In Science & Medicine, Dr. Philip Klipstein, senior principal scientist in the R&D division of SemiConductor Devices (SCD), is honored for his contribution to Israel's high-tech and defense-technology base.
Ami Baran, president of the Israel Athletics Association, receives the award in Culture, Art & Sports, while content creator Barak Swarttz, founder of GRIT for Good, is recognized in Young Leadership, representing a new generation of Olim using digital platforms to make an impact.
The Bonei Zion Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Prof. Marta Weinstock-Rosin, the pioneering neuropharmacologist who developed the Alzheimer's drug Exelon. Her research has had a profound global impact on neuroscience and medicine.
This year's Special Recognition Award is presented to Amb. Ron Dermer, former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former minister of strategic affairs, for his decades of public service, including his role in strengthening the US-Israel alliance and advancing the Abraham Accords.
Why they stay
Rosenberg has argued that the bigger Aliyah story is less about what is pushing Jews out of North America than what is drawing them to Israel: family, values, community and a sense of belonging. The Bonei Zion honorees are the long-term proof of that pull. Nefesh B'Nefesh, which works in partnership with Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and Jewish National Fund-USA, has helped nearly 100,000 North American Olim settle in Israel and reports a 90% retention rate.
"Each of this year's recipients exemplifies the values of dedication, innovation, and Zionism, and together they are a living embodiment of the vitality and strength that Aliyah continues to bring to the State of Israel," said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, Nefesh B'Nefesh co-founder and executive director.
For Adams, the message to the thousands landing at Ben-Gurion this year is simple. "Each year, the Bonei Zion Prize reminds us of one of Israel's greatest strengths," he said, "the extraordinary people who choose to build their lives here and, in doing so, help build the future of the Jewish state."
Written in collaborations with Nefesh B'Nefesh