Surge in Britons choosing a new life in Israel as aliyah figures released

The number of British Jews choosing a new life in Israel rose by nearly a quarter in 2021, while other countries showed dramatic increases in olim compared to the previous year.

New figures released this week also showed more than half of all olim this year were under the age of 35.

Officials hailed the new arrivals as a welcome injection into the Israeli economy despite the difficult circumstances presented by the pandemic.

The data – released jointly by the Jewish Agency, Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the Nefesh B’Nefesh NGO – showed there were 650 people who made aliyah from the United Kingdom this year, a 22% increase on 2020.

Figures from France showed a 40% jump in immigration with the arrival of 3,500 olim, the highest in four years, while the United States produced its highest number in nearly half a century.

A record-breaking 4,000 people made aliyah from the US, reaching heights not seen since 1973, with a further 400 from Canada.

Other notable countries included Russia (7,500 olim), Ukraine (3,000) and Ethiopia (1,636).

“We are thrilled to see a sharp increase, of tens of percentage points,” said Yaakov Hagoel, Acting Chairman of The Jewish Agency.

“Growing interest in Aliyah continued this year, with The Jewish Agency’s Global Aliyah Centre, which provides Aliyah information throughout the day in six languages, opening almost 32,000 new Aliyah files.

“However, the best is yet to come – we haven’t yet maximised on the potential Aliyah.”

Pnina Tamano-Shata, the minister for aliyah and integration, added: “Despite the pandemic and its limitations, Aliyah to Israel did not stop and we’re happy to welcome tens of thousands of Olim who chose to make Aliyah this year.

“Olim are an incredible growth engine for the Israeli economy and are a national, economic and moral powerhouse for the nation.”