For the fourth straight year, Israel is marking Aliyah Day, celebrating the ingathering of the exiles and the contribution of Jewish immigrants to the state.
According to official statistics, 2019 has so far been a good year for aliyah, with 28,629 olim making Israel their home as of October. Only a decade ago, the number of olim for roughly the same period in 2009 stood at 17,179.
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In 2014, more than 27,000 olim arrived in Israel, and a year later the number rose to 31,858, marking a record for the period of 2009-2019.
The number of olim in 2018 was close to that record, standing at 30,381, and 2019 may end with an even higher figure.
The breakdown of the numbers for the period of January through October 2019 is as follows: 12,722 from Russia; 5,247 from Ukraine; 2,470 from the United States; 276 from Canada; 143 from Australia; 1,996 from France; 469 from the UK; 350 from Brazil; 321 from South Africa; 93 from Venezuela; 127 from Mexico and 143 from Turkey.
Despite the growing aliyah figures, not everything has been smooth.
Some 10% of French olim who arrived in Israel in 2019 are on welfare in some form or another and a similar number have returned to France. Many others are technically olim but do not permanently live in Israel
"On this Aliyah Day, Israel expresses its gratitude to the many olim who have come here over many generations," Aliyah and Integration Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday.
"Their courage, their determination and the unique contribution by each and every one of them is felt clearly in every corner. The integration of olim from all over the world should be one of the state's chief missions. Every Jew, wherever he or she may be, should consider Israel to be their home and their future, even if their current place of residence is somewhere else," he continued, adding that "having more aliyah waves is essential for bolstering Israel's strength and ensuring the future of the Jewish people."
