Aliyah from UK close to lowest level as just 534 made the move in 2018

The number of British Jews making aliyah is close to its lowest level in a generation, new figures from the Jewish Agency has shown.

Just 534 Brits migrated to Israel in 2018, compared to an annual average of 672 per year for the ten preceding years. Only in 2013, when 524 Jews left for Israel, was the number lower.

In France, the number making aliyah dropped by a massive 25 percent, while in North America those leaving were also fewer, with about 3,500 moving to Israel compared to an annual average over preceding years of 4,000.

Despite the numbers, the Jewish Agency said there was still a five percent total increase in aliyah figures in 2018 compared to 2017, with much of that explained by a 45 percent jump in immigration from Russia (approximately 10,500) and Ukraine (approximately 6,500).

Among the Brits making aliyah in 2018 were media lawyer Mark Lewis and his partner Mandy Blumenthal. On arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport in December, the well-known pro-Israel activists told Israel’s Channel 10 that “Europe is finished”.