The number of requests to begin the process of aliyah among Jews in the United States and Canada has nearly doubled following the outbreak of the Oct. 7 war and the resurgence of antisemitism in the West, Israel Hayom has learned based on information gathered by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the Jewish Agency for Israel, indicating a clear markable boost in interest to immigrate to Israel.
According to the information, in the first five weeks of the war, 791 new files were opened, compared to 427 in the same period last year.
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A significant jump was noted in the aliyah requests submitted by French Jews: 465 applications in France compared to 98 in the equivalent period in 2022.
The data amounts to an overall rise of almost 400% in applications. It is worth noting that an "aliyah file" is typically open for an entire family seeking to immigrate to Israel, so the actual number of prospective immigrants is even higher. However, not everyone who opens a file ultimately makes aliyah. In some countries, the figures point to a drop in aliyah trends, including Argentina, Brazil, and Russia.
Video: President Herzog speaks with the BBC / Credit: Laura Kuenssberg, BBC
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer, who provided a government briefing on the state of the Jewish diaspora this week, noted that the increasing interest in aliyah is due to a wave of antisemitism sweeping many countries.
"In the early days of the war, the world was exposed to horrors and the murder of 1,200 innocent people by one of the cruelest terrorist organizations that the world has known," he said. "But with the start of the war in Gaza, there has been a particularly harsh wave of antisemitic incidents worldwide. Following the dramatic increase in these incidents around the world, we see a rise in requests for immigration to Israel from many Jews," Sofer continued.
Sofer also told ministers, "We believe there is an unprecedented opportunity to help Jews who want to come to Israel through a special program that will encourage them to immigrate and integrate here."
Among the steps already planned by the ministry in response to the expected immigration wave are various housing solutions and targeted programs for those interested in agricultural occupations, where there is a shortage of labor.
"A Jew should feel safe everywhere, but at the same time, we are preparing because Israel is the home of the Jewish people," said Minister Sofer.
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