Despite ongoing war and insecurity, a new wave of Jews from the United States and France are choosing aliyah, demonstrating their unwavering loyalty to the State of Israel.
Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th triggered an emotional phenomenon: a new wave of Jews choosing to emigrate to Israel despite the war, lack of security and numerous hardships.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, from the outbreak of the war through the end of May 2024, 1,169 new immigrants arrived from the United States and 587 from France. Notably, the number of new Israelis from the United States and France has not decreased compared to last year, when there were 1,321 immigrants from the United States and 628 immigrants from France during the same period last year.
Mark Rosenberg, vice president of diaspora partnerships at Nefesh Benefesh, a nonprofit that promotes and supports migration to Israel from North America, told The Media Line that while Americans currently move to Israel for ideological reasons, some also move for practical reasons.
“We’re finding that the majority of North American Jews want to strengthen their ties to Israel, so those who were considering moving to Israel are accelerating their plans,” Rosenberg said.
Despite the instability going on here, people seem determined. The war has increased passions against Israel, and people want to be part of that story.
“Despite the instability going on here, people seem determined. The war has increased passions against Israel and they want to be part of that story,” he continued.
Event for Israeli immigrants. (Gvahim)
Rosenberg said that in Nefesh Benefesh, there are currently three main groups of people immigrating to Israel: single people under 30 who come to serve in the Israeli army or study in Israel, people over 60 who come to retire, and families.
We’re seeing an increase in enquiries about joining the military, which is interesting considering the risks involved.
“We’re seeing more inquiries about joining the military, which is interesting considering the risks involved,” Rosenberg said.
Anti-Semitism is another reason American Jews move to Israel, and Rosenberg argues that it has been on the rise since the Gaza war began. “It’s something people talk about, but it’s not usually the main reason for moving to Israel. But certainly, even a few anti-Semitic incidents create a certain atmosphere,” he said.
Hadar Amar, a 24-year-old from California, had never considered moving to Israel until last year, even though her two older siblings immigrated there six and nine years ago, respectively.
“I got my degree in the US and started working in a corporate job, but I always felt lonely. I didn’t feel connected and I felt like an outsider in America,” she told The Media Line.
Amal began thinking about moving to the Jewish state when she fell in love with an Israeli man in 2023. She was offered a job in the summer of 2023 and planned to make aliyah (move to Israel) on October 18. But then war happened.
“On October 7, I was still in the US with my family and my boyfriend – he was visiting us at the time – and when the war started, at first I questioned my decision to come to Israel,” Amar explained. “Physically I was in the US, but my heart was in Israel,” she added.
Amar said both her brother and her boyfriend serve in the Israel Defense Forces.
“They were in the reserves for a few weeks and I decided to come to Israel and be with them. Talking to them with the time difference was the worst. Being so far away from them was just torture,” she said.
Amar entered Israel on November 6 and became an Israeli citizen on November 14. Amar’s mother traveled to Israel with her daughter, determined to provide for her children, and stayed there for five months.
“My parents understood that I wanted to go to Israel, even though everyone was scared. They tried to support me as much as they could, but I know it was hard for them,” she said.
As for anti-Semitism, Amar said she has not been personally affected by it, but she saw many instances of it while living in California.
“When the war started, I saw a lot of people I grew up with sharing pro-Palestinian posts on Instagram. I know they just don’t know about the situation. Nothing was aimed at me personally. I did lose some friends though, and I’m OK with that because I know now they weren’t real friends,” she said.
In mid-February 2024, Jacob Licht, 50, emigrated to Israel from the United States with his wife Panina and daughter Miriam.
Jacob, Panina, Miriam Licht. (Provided)
“One of our other daughters has already immigrated to Israel and served in the Israeli air force. She has been working there for a year now and then plans to start college in Israel,” Licht told The Media Line.
Licht explained that Miriam, 22, has a disability and receives more support in Israel than she does in the United States.
“That’s why we started the (immigration) process and decided to move during the summer, but then October 7th came and in our minds the process accelerated,” he explained.
“Since October 7, our prayers have only grown stronger because of the attacks on our people and our land,” Licht added.
Licht stressed the importance of Jews having a homeland, a place where they can live unconditionally.
Licht, who works in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical business sector, expressed a strong desire to help Israel develop this industry.
“I’ve been in this job for 25 years and, although some of my work overlapped with Israeli companies, I’ve mainly worked in the US, Europe and Asia. I understand that Israel has a lot to offer and I want to be part of the Israeli ecosystem,” he explained.
“I’m here to help companies grow through partnerships and alliances with the world,” he added.
Licht also revealed that his niece is currently completing her first year at Columbia University.
“My daughter couldn’t attend the Pesach Seder there because the police said they needed security… and she said, ‘Isn’t it strange that we’re sitting in a restaurant in a country at war and my cousin in America is scared?'” he recalled.
In Israel, new immigrants are coming from France and beyond the United States, despite the ongoing war.
Leon Cohen, head of the French project at Gvahim, an organization that works to successfully integrate new immigrants into the Israeli labor market, explained to The Media Line that Zionism was one of the most important reasons why French Jews emigrated to Israel during the war.
“In their minds, October 7 is the day to awaken and embrace that Israel is their place. It’s where they have to go,” he said.
Cohen said that from his professional experience he felt that since the war began, most Jews living in France have had a growing desire to come to Israel.
“They were traumatized as if they were in Kibbutz Be’eri and the attack had happened to them. For many it felt like something terrible was happening to their family and they had to be in Israel,” he said.
Cohen also said that for some new immigrants, ordinary family circumstances also motivate them to leave France for Israel: “They get divorced, they don’t like their job in France, they want to change something in their life… Some people move to Israel just for that reason,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rebecca, who asked not to give her surname, emigrated from France to Israel in April 2024 with her husband Michael and their three-year-old daughter after October 7.
Rebecca. (Provided)
Although Rebecca grew up in Morocco, she felt a strong connection to Israel and the Jewish people, and she converted to Judaism three years ago.
“I was born to Sumerian parents and my life path led me to discover Judaism and to feel a great affinity with it and the Land of Israel. My conversion took many years. I was 17 when I realized I wanted to convert and I started the process when I was 21. I had to study for three years,” she explained.
Rebecca said she feels “unfamiliar” with the country, as she has not yet found a job in Israel, and is still going through the aliyah process.
Rebecca said she and her husband had been considering emigrateing to Israel before the Hamas attack on October 7, but that day’s events prompted her to expedite the process.
“We felt that everything that was going on in Israel was affecting us, and we felt it was better for us to be here,” she said.
Rebecca described an example of anti-Semitism she experienced in France, when a nanny refused to look after her daughter after she told them they were Jewish.
Another Zionist who emigrated to Israel from France is Maxim Horowitz, 27, from Metz, who emigrated to Israel in mid-November 2023.
Maxim Horowitz. (Provided)
“It was planned for the beginning of mid-October. I really wanted to go but my parents were really worried because of the situation. Our schedules didn’t match up because of my departure and I agreed to wait, but not more than a month or a few weeks,” he told The Media Line.
Horowitz explained that he prefers living in a Zionist environment.
“I feel there is only one place for Jews and that is in Israel. I just wanted to live in Israel,” he said.
Today, despite the difficulties of immigration and the dangers of war, new immigrants to Israel find living in the Jewish state to be a positive experience.
“Now in Israel, I feel safe, happy and connected. I am with my loved ones and I am building the life I had been waiting for for years. It’s not easy, especially when someone close to me is in the military, but this experience has helped me understand what it means to be a Jew in the modern world,” Amar concluded.
