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JMintheAM - Aug 7, 2014 - Zev Gershinsky - NBN Dir of Government Processing and Advocacy
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[Music]
that's Moshe he did anybody notice that
I'm wearing my neish bfes inlight press
pass from the big flight two weeks ago
did anybody notice
that uh one of the most um thrilling
Journeys I have been on was the the Tony
Kramer noticed that I'm wearing my uh
inlight pass from the neish bfish
flight he didn't notice did he he did
notice one of the best journeys of my
life was being on the plane last summer
and then again this summer with the
neish benfish group that landed in
Israel this year
was a much different
experience um I don't want to say somber
it was just a bit more tempered the
whole mood because of what was going on
and and it was it was certainly an
intimate celebration because because it
was a much smaller celebration than
normal at the airport we've discussed
this on the air a million times already
um but it was uh it was something I'll
never forget Tuesday will be there for
the charter flight this summer I know
someone making Al on the
20th 21st is it so the 20th from
America I know someone going on that
group flight who's making alad that day
they weren't able to make the charter
flight in fact it's an entire family
that's going on that group flight on the
20th um oh are y'all and Aaron are on
the charter flight meaning we'll meet
them in t Aviv Naomi and Vinnie Mar so
the mariles and the liues are on the
list of people who are going to be
moving to Israel this coming Monday you
would think that that in this time of
ceasefire in this uncertainty in the
Holy Land you would think that people
would delay or postpone or cancel their
Aliyah plans that's what you would think
but what did we see we're eyewitnesses
to the fact that nobody in July at the
height of the at the time when they were
recommending that neish Benish and medg
Airport actually limit the celebration
nobody went ahead and canell the FAA
went ahead and said you're not going to
be able to fly neish Benish said you can
fly and what happened they flew they
flew with a full plane not one
cancellation by the way I wanted to book
one of the people that canceled their
Alia plans I felt I felt would be a
great interview let's book one of the
folks that actually could canceled their
on the and you know what happened we
couldn't find anybody we looked and
search we couldn't find anybody that was
willing to bpone or cancel their
trip Zev gershinsky is here he's one of
the people in the ne beneficial office
who had confidence in all the hundreds
of oin that they wouldn't postpone or
cancel their flight he's director of
government processing and advocacy here
in the uh neish benfish headquarters in
Yan I Zev gershinsky welcome to JM in
the am good morning how are you am I
right that you're among the handful of
people in this country that were not
surprised that nobody canceled or
postponed their trip of course and in
fact yesterday just yesterday what are
we 3 four days before the flight people
are knocking on the door and saying we
want to join the flight one second this
is a very important point you are
telling me that yesterday the day after
tisho with the flight being Monday
people actually Express interest on
getting onto that flight uh of course
yep 100% people are and our flight is
full then we have to tell people we have
no seats left so I mean I'll tell you I
I have to be careful with what I said
earlier in the show there are some
amazing virtuous people in our community
who are willing to keep to their
commitment to move to Israel and to give
strength and amazing inspiration to the
people who live here already it's just
incredible how long are you with neish
Benish this is my summer wow so you've
seen a lot of alatri a lot of planes
you've seen a a lot of planes a lot of
Ceremonies uh and and your specific role
is government processing I would guess
you've seen a lot of changes in that
area over the years um yeah I think
that's one of the biggest challenges uh
we have here um
and we hope that oim have less and less
of government processing government
processing and and and challenges okay
without without even considering that
this might might be a public forum give
me your assessment of how the Israeli
government is doing when it comes to the
topic of Aliyah how is it doing these
days look in general I think that the
government in Israel um they say
government loves Aliah but doesn't like
olim ah is that what they but uh um the
truth is that we see a lot of of of very
good intentions of government agencies
when it comes to
they definitely want to help they would
definitely want to do make things e
easier bureaucracy is bureaucracy and I
tellim all the time you are immigrating
from one from one country to another
this is an immigration process we've
made that point we made that point a
million times if you go to any major
country on this globe and you decide you
want to move there there's going to be
paperwork and there's going to be you
know hurdles it just when it comes to
Israeli government I guess you know but
you know you know it's very interesting
because um um we we've done surveys
about uh with our to see what which
government agency was the most
problematic throughout the whole Aliyah
process who gave you the most problem
who who gave us the most uh problems
come on and the answer is I should give
a guess uh I don't know I don't even
know who the different agencies are I so
let me let me tell you the American
Consulate in East Jerusalem th those are
the ones that have the most the most red
tape for for for o so so if you um try
to compare um bureaucracy I guess
American bureaucracy isn't uh uh far
behind isn't far behind but um it's
always the the culture Gap it's the
language Gap uh which which uh um is a
problem for for the O and that's why
we're here maybe the consulate has
trouble with some of the areas that
people want to make aliat too that could
be it could be although I'm just
guessing I'm conjecturing although now
I'm told that Zev ginski is not welcome
at the American Consulate in East
Jerusalem anymore that's what I just and
someone just whispered that in my ear uh
JM and the am we're talking about neish
Benish government processing and
advocacy Zev ginsky is here you know
with everything you're saying I
seriously don't want it to um to deter
anybody or discourage anybody from
starting the process uh in all
seriousness although there are hurdles
paperwork Etc it Still Remains a
relatively smooth process and I'd love
for you to emphasize that so so let let
me just uh explain what we're doing for
the oim coming uh on T landing on
Tuesday okay um just in a nutshell just
uh to understand um how hard we're
working to make sure that uh uh do not
feel the bureaucracy um Aliyah has two
main components one is um getting
Israeli citizenship um and the other one
is obtaining their
benefits that means we're dealing with
two separate government offices getting
citizenship through M Ministry of
interior and getting the benefits
through M Ministry of immigrant
absorption um we work closely together
with the both uh government offices
uh in fact MIM is sending their people
on the plane to make sure uh we do all
the processing for the Israeli ID and
for all the um citizenship a aspect um
and there are no surprises we've been
working uh tirelessly with um
M I assume for the past month for this
flight um they have all the paperwork
ready um everything is there they they
all they need to do now is to go on the
computer and just click a button and get
the two do um it's all in the system
it's all ready same thing
for we have all the F all the files
ready for Mita at the moment we take off
from JFK we give notice to M they
already print your two we just saved an
O 45 minutes talking to a clerk that
does not understand
English and he gives it to D within
three minutes uh we just did that and uh
we make sure the two is ready every o
who comes out NE benfish flight does not
need to go into any government office
because we do it for you you can't do
much better than that than what you just
described I mean to talk about the Aliah
process being a deterr uh for alah you
can't make that argument anymore uh I'm
ashamed to say that I'm now running I'm
running out of even more
excuses because you just you don't have
this type of situation like it was in
the old days we made this point a
million times year at JM the Zeb ginsky
is director of government processing and
advocacy if someone's interested in
making Aliah I don't know even in 2014
still right they don't have to wait till
2015 at this point I'm talking about
August 2014 yeah but you're not talking
about August I'm talking about August
someone today
decid anyone wants to make Ali in August
just contact us you're going to make
AUST if they want to still make Aliah
this 100% even a family even a family
unbelievable you've seen the process
we'll make it happen you've seen the
process on the uh on the benon side
right you've seen how many minutes
people actually spend at the desk it's
what maybe 10 minutes or somewhere
between 5 and 10 minutes 10 minutes for
the family for they're at normally
they're at the ceremony a lot longer
than they are 100% And in the old days
they'd be sitting there for three they
were lucky I'll tell you I I could tell
you my Aliyah story because I don't have
one I was born in Israel but my parents
um when they made Aliyah um just before
I was born a few months before I was
born um at least the story they tell is
of a few families that made Aliyah on a
certain flight come to benon and they
just wait and they look for someone to
mention or or to pick them up or so they
waited for a few hours until someone
noticed that they are right then they
got processed for a few few hours um and
then until they got to the it was a
approximately like nine or 10 hours
we're talking about a 2 hour um Max from
door to door right yeah I I saw that
with my own eyes in the early 90s and
the late 80s I would land in Bon and
people would point out to me you see
those people over there in the corner
sitting on their suitcases waiting for
anybody to just help them with those are
brand new oim and of course today they
finally show up to the hero's welcome
that they deserve uh Tara thank you so
much for all you do for Aliah and
continue good luck enjoy the flight or
welcoming the flight on Tuesday we'll be
there with you at the airport if someone
does want to make Aliah even in the
month of August
they should contact
NE thank you very Z ginsky director of
government processing and
advocacy boy he got rid of every excuse
everybody has for Alia you want to make
aliad August I'm going ahead and talking
about
2015 he's like what are you talking
about now during the summer before Labor
Day Before the school year even starts
come and make
Aliah unbelievable uh JM and the am we
at neish benfish headquarters they are
the bookends of our
trip nefes benfish is the bookends of
our
trip today Thursday from their
headquarters in
Jerusalem Monday or Tuesday rather from
the incredible celebration no matter
what the size of the celebration will be
it'll be an incredible celebration
coming up on Tuesday at benon airport in
between we'll be at a variety of places
including sto tomorrow for the big
celebration join us everybody a drop
behind schedule for Rabbi goldwaser his
words here is Rabbi DAV goldwaser with
morning good morning