Immigration from US on the rise, says Nefesh B'Nefesh

3,762 North Americans moved to Israel in 2014, 7% more than last year

An Israeli organization that promotes immigration to the country from North America has reported an increase in new arrivals to the Jewish state from the US and Canada in 2014, with 3,762 immigrants arriving during the year.

Nefesh B’Nefesh said in a statement that there was a 7 percent rise in the number of immigrants to Israel through its programs compared to 2013, when 3,504 people made the move, known as aliyah. In addition, immigration from the United Kingdom also increased over the year by 6%, to 525.

Erez Halfon, vice chairman of Nefesh B’Nefesh, which is partly funded by the Israeli government, said that the 50-day conflict between the IDF and Hamas in the Gaza Strip over the summer did not seem to reduce the overall numbers of people who came to live in Israel.

“Despite the events that transpired during the traditional summer peak period for aliyah, we saw that immigration to Israel grew significantly from North America and the UK,” Halfon said. “They are fulfilling the Zionist dream and have made valuable contributions to strengthening Israel in the economic, political, and national security spheres.”

The organization arranged 17 flights from North America to Israel that brought 296 families — including 813 children under the age of 18 — as well as 1,703 singles. The youngest new arrival was just three weeks old while the oldest was 98, the groups said.

Most of the new immigrants, know as olim, came from the states of New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Canadian olim hailed primarily from Quebec and Ontario. Most of the British immigrants came from London and Manchester.

Among the new arrivals were 350 young people who immediately joined the IDF as lone soldiers, serving in a range of combat and support units. There are currently some 3,000 lone soldiers, who have no immediate family in the country, serving in the IDF.

Most of the immigrants headed to the capital, Jerusalem, or the cities of Tel Aviv, Beit Shemesh and Ra’anana to set up their new homes. However, as part of a Nefesh B’Nefesh drive to increase Israel’s population in outlying regions, others joined towns and communities in the north and south of the country.