Key facts
- Dov Newmark, a UK-born migration consultant, has helped over 6,000 Jews move to Israel in the past 15 years.
- Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN), an organization where Newmark previously worked, advertised migration to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Golan Heights.
- NBN's website provided information pages on settlements, including details on local community contacts and expansion initiatives.
- The UK Foreign Office stated that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
- Newmark has since started his own consultancy, Make Aliyah Easy, to assist British Jews with relocation to Israel.
- Newmark has partnered with Shivat Zion, an organization that has faced allegations of assisting migration to settlements.
A UK-born migration consultant, Dov Newmark, has been instrumental in helping over 6,000 Jews relocate to Israel over the past 15 years. Much of this work was conducted while he was associated with Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN), an organization that has advertised migration to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights. NBN's website provided information pages detailing various settlements, including local contacts and descriptions that often omitted their location within occupied territories.
Examples of NBN's promotion include the Gush Etzion settlement cluster, described with a road bypassing Arab communities, and the Katzrin settlement in the Golan Heights, noted for its views while ignoring its location in occupied Syrian territory. The West Bank settlement Elkana was promoted as being in the 'center of Israel,' and Mateh Binyamin settlements were called 'one of the most beautiful regions in Israel,' without acknowledging they lie outside internationally recognized borders.
Newmark, who served as NBN's Director of UK Aliyah from 2009 to 2023, stated that NBN made Jewish migration to Israel significantly easier by consolidating information. While it is unclear how many individuals he directly assisted in moving to illegal settlements, an information page for the Efrat settlement indicated that 'thousands of NBN Olim' reside there. NBN claims its settlement information is for 'educational and informational purposes only' and that it does not endorse specific communities, though its language suggests it views the Golan Heights and West Bank as part of Israel.
Following his departure from NBN in 2023, Newmark established his own consultancy, Make Aliyah Easy, to offer free Aliyah planning and relocation assistance to British Jews. He earns commissions from English-speaking service providers, such as shippers and currency converters. Recently, Newmark announced a partnership with Shivat Zion, an Israeli organization that has been accused of assisting UK citizens with migration to settlements, prompting calls for sanctions.