French Aliyah Increases in 2015

Photo by ChameleonsEye/shutterstock.com By July 31, 4,260 French immigrants had reached Israel, up 11% from the 3,830 who moved to Israel over the same period a year earlier, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel, which facilitates immigration. The figures mark the first time that more than 1% of a Western country’s Jewish population has immigrated to Israel in a single year.

More than 20,000 French Jews have immigrated over the past five years, most of them young people and families. Analysts have pointed to increased fears of anti-Semitic attacks in France and elsewhere in Western Europe as driving the immigration numbers. 2015 saw a spate of attacks on French Jewish targets, an increase of 84% in anti-Semitic incidents from last year, according to the SPCJ security service of France’s Jewish communities.

Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky said that in response to a rise in interest from European Jews, his organization had “significantly expanded” its efforts to bring Jews from Europe to Israel in the last two years. Minister of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption Ze’ev Elkin said that the ministry was preparing for the arrival of between 30,000 and 35,000 immigrants from all over the world, writes The Times of Israel.

Editor’s Note:  Bridges for Peace has a long history of helping new immigrants as they arrive in Israel. You can partner with us as we bless Israel’s newest residents by giving to our New Immigrant Fund. Click here to make a donation.