Chairman of the Herzog Agency on the Knesset Immigration Committee: "The current situation - a historic challenge to be exploited" • Chairman of the Bitten Committee: "Relations with the Jews of the Diaspora are Important and Essential"

• Photo: Yossi Seliger

 Rise of the Corona: Agency Chairman Yitzhak (Buzzi) Herzog estimated Monday on the Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Committee that about 250,000 immigrants will immigrate to Israel in the next 5-3 years. 

"Relations with expatriate Jews are important and vital, both for immigration and for the identification of Diaspora Jewish leaders with the State of Israel," said committee chairman David Bitten (Likud), who emphasized the need for small communities, especially in education, community outreach and security activities. . 

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He added that large communities were severely affected in Corona by mass deaths, profound damage to community and educational activity and the wave of grim anti-Semitism, and because of all this, a significant wave of immigration should be expected in the next year and a half. 

Bitten noted the emphasis of the committee's activities in the coming years, in the placement of immigrant employment, including recognition of degrees, increasing housing options and expanding student-immigrant scholarships. Bitten also promotes the establishment of a foundation, jointly with the agency and the government, to assist small communities for the purpose of Jewish existence in exile - as educational institutions and community activities. Bitten also called on the Cabinet Secretary to set up an Immigration and Immigration Committee as soon as possible to promote ventures and remove bureaucratic barriers.

Chairman of the Herzog Agency // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

Agency Chairman Yitzhak (Buzzi) Herzog said that the Jewish Agency has brought 4 million immigrants to Israel in seventy years from 45 countries, adding, "We expect a particularly large wave of immigration in the next 5-3 years of about 250,000. Immigrants, most of them young and free professionals - because of the Corona crisis. This is a historic challenge that must be taken advantage of, and the government must understand the magnitude of the time and prepare a national plan to absorb this wave. "Herzog noted that our call center is flooded with inquiries, an increase of 50% from English-speaking countries and 70% from French-speaking countries. 

35,000 people immigrated to Israel in 2019

Amira Aharonovich, Director General of the Agency, added immigration figures in 2019: 35,000 immigrants, including 24,651 from the CIS, 3,963 from European countries, 3,539 from North America, 1,746 from Latin America, 663 from Ethiopia, 422 from South Africa, 318 from other countries In the Middle East, and 189 from Australia and New Zealand. 

The increase in immigrants has been recorded for a decade, with only 16,000 immigrants in 2009. She highlighted the tensions in some communities with the connection with Israel, the crisis of the Corona that affected the institutions of the communities, donors, activities and personal sense of security. She says there has been a sharp increase in the number of immigration cases that have opened in the past three months, with North America registering 573% on file opening, 269% in France, and 99% in Latin America. 

Chairman of the committee Bitan // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

Josh Schwartz, the secretary general of the organization, noted "the necessity of voicing the voices, distress and stresses of the Jewish people in the Knesset, and the thirst of the Diaspora communities to personally know the Knesset members, and therefore the expulsions to the Diaspora bring the challenges of the Knesset closer to education , Security, anti-Semitism and the boycott movement. ”Schwartz said of the Israel Security Fund, which has raised about 500 million shekels to 600 communities in some 60 countries, and helps protect community members from schools, the community center and more.