Aliyah from the UK falls sixty percent due to Covid-19
89 Brits made the move to Israel in the first four months of 2020, down from 146 in the same period last year
Jack Mendel is the former Online Editor at the Jewish News.
Aliyah from the UK fell 60 percent between January and April this year as a result of the pandemic.
In January, prior to the lockdown, 32 people made aliyah, an increase of five on the previous year.
Yigal Palmor, head of external relations at the Jewish Agency, cited “objective obstacles” including “entry restrictions, general shutdown of government, lockdown regulation and lack of flights”.
Speaking to Jewish News, Shay Felber, deputy director of the Jewish Agency, said the process for making Aliyah had not ground to a halt. “People are still approaching us, and we still provide services, although with the difficulties of closed offices, and other a restrictions. We haven’t stopped dealing and taking care of those who want to come to Israel.”
He added that the Jewish Agency has adapted to the restrictions, with potential Olim invited to “send all the documents by mail to our offices, our representative will open them and then they will do an interview with you, without you coming to the office in person”.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
