North American aliyah surges in 2009

Funded in part by Federation Annual Campaigns donations, the Jewish Agency for Israel moved 3,767 new immigrants from the U.S. and Canada to Israel in 2009, an increase of 17 percent compared with 2008.

Globally, there was also an increase of 17 percent in the number of new immigrants to Israel from around the world to more than 16,200, excluding immigrants from Ethiopia.

The 2009 data included cases where special arrangements were made to bring Jews to Israel from regions where they are considered at risk: 47 Jews were brought to Israel from Yemen, 25 from Morocco, 13 from Tunisia, three from Lebanon and 90 others from several additional countries.

The largest growth by percentage and geographic area was from Eastern Europe (27 percent) and from the former Soviet Union (22 percent), followed by North America (17 percent).

Countries with the largest increases in the number of new immigrants included the UK (with an increase of 34 percent, to 835 new immigrants), Argentina (51 percent to 325), Spain (52 percent, to 38) and Scandinavian countries (104 percent, to 57 new immigrants).

Aliyah from Ethiopia, whose volume is directly dependent on the number of Ethiopians Israel’s Ministry of Interior grants aliyah eligibility to, dropped this year to under 300, but is expected to rise to 2008 levels of approximately 1,500 immigrants in 2010.

“Every new immigrant strengthens the country and is a strategic asset to Israel,” said Jewish Agency Chair Natan Sharansky Jan. 7 in Jerusalem.

Of the 3,767 new immigrants this year from North America, 3,324 were from the U.S. (representing a 19 percent increase compared number of U.S. immigrants in 2008) and 443 were from Canada (a 6 percent increase compared number of Canadian immigrants in 2008).