More than 700 Brazilian Jews emigrate to Israel

More than 700 immigrants from Brazil are scheduled to arrive in Israel by the end of the calendar year.

The total for 2016 will be more than three times the annual average of about 200 new Brazilian olim, according to the Jewish Agency,

The 700 new immigrants for 2016 marks a 45-year record in Brazillian aliyah, which reached similar levels in the 1970s, the Jewish Agency said in a statement issued Sunday.

“The Brazilian Jewish community is a warm, Zionist community with strong ties to Israel,” said Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel, Natan Sharansky, who is currently visiting Brazil and meeting with the local Jewish community. “Since Israel’s establishment, more than 15,000 Brazilian Jews have immigrated to Israel, contributing to the Jewish state’s national character and strength.”

Sharansky is scheduled to meet with Brazilian Jews who are about to immigrate to Israel, as well as with member of Jewish youth movements.

The increase in Aliyah from Brazil is taking place in the midst of an economic crisis in the country.

Some 496 Brazilian immigrants arrived in Israeli in 2015, and 280 arrived in 2014. The annual average was approximately 200 until three years ago, according to the Jewish Agency.