Ministry of Immigrant Absorption data obtained by Israel Hayom show that the number of requests to open immigration files in the United States and Canada has almost doubled. In the five weeks between the outbreak of the war and the end of last week, 791 new files were opened, compared with 427 in the same period last year.
Pro-Palestinian demonstration in London // From Reuters
French Jewry has also seen a sharp jump: 465 new immigration files since the outbreak of the war, compared with 98 in the same period in 2022. This means a 374% jump in demand for immigration from Western countries.
"Israel is the home of the Jewish people"
It should be noted that the "Aliyah file" usually reflects a family wishing to immigrate to Israel, and therefore the actual number of immigrants is expected to be higher than the number of files. However, those who opened a file do not always immigrate to Israel in the end.
On the other hand, there are countries in which there has actually been a significant decline in the aspiration to immigrate to Israel. Among them, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, and others.
Minister of Aliyah and Absorption, Ofir Sofer,
Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Ofir Sofer, who gave a government briefing yesterday on the situation of Diaspora Jewry, noted that the growing interest in Aliyah stems from an anti-Semitic wave that is sweeping many countries around the world.
"In the early days, the world was exposed to the horrors and murder of 1,400 innocents by one of the cruelest terrorist organizations in the world. But with the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, a particularly severe wave of anti-Semitic incidents spread throughout the world. Following the dramatic increase in the cases in question around the world, we are seeing an increase in requests for immigration to Israel by many Jews."
Sofer also told the ministers: "We believe that there is an unprecedented opportunity to help Jews who wish to immigrate to Israel through special assistance options that will encourage them to immigrate to Israel and be absorbed into Israel."
Among the measures already planned by the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption in light of the expected wave of immigration are focused housing solutions as well as targeted programs for those interested in the agricultural sector, which currently suffers from a shortage of working hands.
"A Jew should feel safe everywhere, but at the same time we are preparing because Israel is the home of the Jewish people," Sofer said.
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