Richard C. Dujardin / Providence Journal 
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- When Naomi Mitchell told her mother, several months ago, that she was thinking of signing up as a soldier in the Israeli army, Francine Mitchell suggested she do more research to decide if that was really what she wanted to do.
By May, the 19-year-old had decided. Returning home after spending nine months studying and volunteering in Israel, she announced she would follow in the footsteps of her older brother, Gabi, who joined the Israeli army, except that she might go into the Israeli navy instead. Military service is compulsory for young men and women in Israel.
Naomi Mitchell this week boarded one of 13 chartered flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York that have been set aside this summer to carry 2,200 American Jews on one-way flights to Israel to become permanent Israeli residents
"This is something I've dreamed about for a very long time," Naomi Mitchell said. "I believe in the state of Israel."
The trips are paid for by the Israeli government and are organized by the Jerusalem-based group Nefesh B'Nefesh, which means "soul to soul." Aside from arranging flights, the organization provides help in finding employment and housing.
The campaign has been a success, according to the group's spokesman, Charley Levine. Levine said that in the first year of operations, five years ago, the group sent only one planeload, but the number of planes has increased every year.
The 13 planes being sent this year is the biggest number so far and suggests that American immigration to Israel is expanding at a more rapid clip.
Those who immigrate today are of all ages but tend to be couples in their late 20s and early 30s with university degrees in hand and one or two children.
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