There has been a marked increase in the number of Hungarians immigrating to Israel as well as the number involved in Jewish identity programs in Hungary, according to Jewish Agency records. In 2007, 49 Hungarians made aliyah, whereas in 2010 the number had climbed to 115.

The Jewish Agency said Tuesday that it expects additional immigration from the Eastern European nation. "In addition to the dramatic increase in the number of immigrants, the profile of immigrants from Hungary has changed and today we see more young people seeking their future here," said Eran El-Bar, a former Jewish Agency emissary to central European states.

"This summer 255 people from central Europe will come to Israel, 180 of them from Hungary. The new immigrants are having their first real interaction with Israeli society, including through various volunteer programs," El-Bar said.

"This is an unprecedented flood of immigrants from Hungary," El-Bar said. "They come here through Birthright and Jewish Agency missions. Happily, Hungarian youth are starting to take an interest in destroyed synagogues and the glorious past of Hungarian Jewry as a result of their strengthening ties with Israel."