Israel records sharp rise in arrivals of western Jews but drop in overall immigration

Israeli government links anti-Semitic attacks to surge in arrivals from the West

Immigrants from North America and Canada arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. AFP

The number of Jews from western states moving to Israel increased in 2025, while an overall drop in immigration was recorded as arrivals from Russia declined.

Arrivals from France increased 45 per cent, the UK 19 per cent and the US 5 per cent. Israeli authorities linked the increase in numbers to anti-Semitic attacks in the West.

Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer said Israel was encouraging people from countries "where anti-Semitism is increasing".

“This, along with many programmes to integrate immigrants in the fields of employment, housing, higher education and the community, is expected to encourage further immigration and strengthen the state of Israel,” he said, quoted by The Times of Israel.

The Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023 led to an increase in anti-Semitic attacks in a number of western countries. They quadrupled in France, which houses the largest Jewish population in Europe of 500,000, before falling by 6 per cent in 2024, a report by the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights found.

Tributes to victims of a mass anti-Semitic shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney this month. Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of failing to deal with anti-Semitism. Mr Macron has rejected such accusations, saying he fights this "scourge with all [his] strength".

The highest level of departures from France was reached in 2015, with about 7,900, in the context of deadly attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper office and a supermarket near Paris in January 2015, followed by the Bataclan attack in November. The figures then fell back to about 2,500 a year before rising again after the October 7 attacks.

In the UK, yearly figures published by the Home Office until March 2024 show religious hate crimes increased by 25 per cent, offences against Jews in particular. In October this year, three people were killed in Manchester during Yom Kippur celebrations.

Australia this month witnessed the horror of its deadliest terror attack, when ISIS-affiliated gunmen opened fire on Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, killing 15. Mass shootings in Australia are rare.

At 3,300, French expatriates represented the third largest contingent of arrivals, behind Russia (8,300) and the US (3,500). Russians have dominated immigration to Israel for decades but their numbers more than halved this year, contributing to a steep drop of about one third in total arrivals.

Newly arrived Jewish immigrants coming from France in 2016. AFP

Israel also recorded a net migration deficit, with 82,700 departures and 21,900 arrivals in 2025. This can be explained in part by the country's two-year war against Hamas in Gaza, described by UN experts, scholars and a number of world leaders as genocide – a term rejected by Israel.

Israel historically offers support for immigrants to find work on arrival, as well as tax incentives. Under the Law of Return, the nation grants automatic citizenship to Jews who settle there.