Yet another Nefesh B’Nefesh flight arrived in Israel this week, just in time for the new year. The flight from North America landed Wednesday at Ben Gurion Airport, bringing some 70 new immigrants to their new homes in Israel.

Among them was Jacob Steinberg, a 25 year old immigrant from Lakewood, New Jersey. Steinberg is a member of Lakewood’s hareidi community – not the typical profile of a new IDF recruit. And given his age, joining the army would seem to be an unlikely move for the young man.

But join the army he will. Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Steinberg said that he feeks very strongly about the matter. “Making aliyah and joining the IDF seems like the right and true thing to do,” he said. “My place is in Israel.”

Steinberg was welcomed by, among others, NBN deputy chairman Erez Halfon. “These immigrants have arrived in Israel at the start of the New Year and are joining the thousands who immigrated to Israel this year in North America, and preceding the thousands will follow next year. They are making a fundamental contribution to the growth and continued strength of the State of Israel. NBN will continuing helping the immigrants become an integral part of Israeli society,” Halfon added.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 16,884 immigrants came to Israel in 2013. 43% of them came from former Soviet Union countries, primarily Russia and Ukraine; 17% came from France, 13% came from the United States, and 8% were from Ethiopia.