New initiative would encourage European Jews to make aliyah

The Joint Operation for Aliyah Promotion has already raised a pledged $29 million over next two years

By JTA 10 June 2014, 2:16 am

Edit

Illustrative. A Boeing 747 El Al plane. (Yossi Zeliger/Flash90)

JERUSALEM — A new aliyah agency tasked with persuading European Jews to move to Israel is under consideration.

The Joint Operation for Aliyah Promotion would be a joint initiative of the Israeli government and the institutions involved in aliyah and Europe: the Jewish Agency for Israel, the United Israel Appeal, the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish National Fund, according to the Jewish Agency.

JNF already has raised the money for the initiative — approximately $29 million over the next two years.

The money would be used to provide outreach such as information sessions and job fairs to Jews living in areas experiencing a rise in anti-Semitism, as well as financial incentives to convince them to move to Israel rather than another country.

The issue could be brought to the cabinet as early as next week.
Sofa Landver, Israel’s minister of aliyah and immigrant absorption, said in a statement that the joint effort “will enable us to increase the number of immigrants coming to Israel and will illustrate Israel’s role and the importance it places on ingathering the exiles.”