Jewish people stream to Israel despite war, including Louis Kemp, close friend of Bob Dylan, aged 82

The war rages on and sirens are screaming, but nevertheless, they come. Young and old, from all over the world, Jewish people are feeling the pull of aliyah. A childhood friend of Bob Dylan, Louis Kemp, had been thinking of making the move for some time but it was the war that became the deciding factor.

Kemp, aged 82, told Ynet News: “My people are under attack. The country that I love is under attack. I wanted to show solidarity, and I felt that the best way to do so was by moving to Israel.”

Kemp once had a successful fishing and seafood business in LA among his list of accomplishments. He was an integral part of the Jewish community in California and was known for his friendship with Bob Dylan, the legendary Jewish singer. They met at age 11 and have been close friends ever since, with Kemp being the best man at Dylan’s wedding. 

When people wonder why he might make such a move, asking if he had family there, he responded: “Yes, I have millions of relatives, including a daughter and four grandchildren,” referring to his relatives living in Raanana, along with his familial love for the entire nation. “It took them some time to understand, and then they smiled. They understood me. That’s how I see it. I feel like I’m reuniting with my family. I bought a one-way ticket.”

The organization Nefesh B’Nefesh, which assisted Kemp with his immigration to Israel, reported on Thursday that 200 Jews arrived in Israel from North America on five different flights, setting a record for the highest number of group arrivals in a single day this year.

Ofir Sofer, minister of Aliyah and Integration, welcomed the new olim (immigrants), saying: “We are in the midst of a blessed month, of witnessing an impressive increase in aliyah from around the world, despite this complex period of conflict in the north and south. I extend my heartfelt wishes to all the new olim who arrived today and over the last week from North America, driven by a strong desire to become an integral part of the Zionist story.” 

In February 2024, after a similar surge in applications, Avichai Kahana, director-general of the Ministry of Aliyah stated: "They are coming first and foremost because of love for Israel and solidarity. Most of the Olim are young or young families. On our tours abroad, especially in North America, they tell us: that we want to participate in building Israel in the day after. After the Yom Kippur War and the 1982 Lebanon War, there were similar waves of Aliyah from people who felt more connected to Israel than ever.”

He saw the influx of new immigrants and predicted, "Despite the war, 1,500 to 1,600 people are expected to arrive in July and August alone."

"Based on our knowledge of Aliyah intentions, in 2024, we will break the records of the last ten years, with around 4,000 Jews making Aliyah to Israel from North America," he said, adding: “It's crazy because even under war, under rockets, under a semi-existential threat from the north and Iran – amid all this, Olim are coming in numbers that haven't been seen in any other year, and twice as many are seriously interested in making Aliyah to Israel."

The Aliyah Ministry launched a plan to absorb the new immigrants in February, setting aside a budget of NIS 170 million ($46.4 million). Appropriately, the operation has been named, “Nevertheless.”

The war has not deterred the Jewish people from coming back to the land of their ancestors and seems to have encouraged it, as many see it as the safest place to be as global antisemitism is on the rise.

Young and old are coming, and Louis Kemp is now encouraging his friend Bob Dylan to consider making the move:

“I was always a proud Jew, always wearing a Star of David necklace. I’ve always identified with Israel. I sent Dylan pictures of my house in Mamilla and wrote to him: ‘You have a beautiful place if you come here.’”