More Than 30,000 Jews From 100 Countries Have Moved to Israel in the Last Year
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Around 31,000 Jewish people from over 100 countries immigrated to Israel in the last year, a period which has seen the October 7 attack by Hamas and the consequent war in Gaza, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.
In a joint statement published on Sunday ahead of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana) which begins on Wednesday (October 2) evening, the Aliyah and Integration Ministry and The Jewish Agency for Israel said 19,850 immigrants had come from Russia, and over 3,340 from the US and Canada, between September 16, 2023, and September 19, 2024.
The two agencies added that there were 1,820 new immigrants from France, 980 from Ukraine, 975 from Belarus, 560 from the United Kingdom, 450 from Argentina, 310 from Georgia, 280 from South Africa, 250 from Brazil, 220 from Uzbekistan, 160 from Germany, 150 from Azerbaijan, 135 from Australia, 130 from Mexico, and 105 from Kazakhstan.
“Aliyah [Jewish immigration to Israel] is one of the cornerstones of Zionism, and indeed, since the start of the war on October 7, we have witnessed an exciting and unique wave of Aliyah,” Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said in a press release.
“Over the past year, tens of thousands of Olim [immigrants] have arrived in Israel from all over the world, choosing to come at the most challenging of times, This is a powerful and significant expression of the deep connection between the Jewish diaspora and Israel,” Sofer said.