Numbers show 854 French immigrants arrived in Israel during January & February, more than 3 times the number arriving in the same 2-month period last year.
A record number of Jewish immigrants from France poured into Israel in the first few months of the year, according to figures released by the Jewish Agency Sunday.
About 1,000 French high school students are in Israel on a program known as Bac Bleu Blanc (“Blue White Seniors”). Some are expected to join a growing number of French Jews making aliyah. – Photo: JAFI
The figures show that 854 French immigrants arrived in Israel in January and February – more than three times the number arriving in the same two-month period the previous year. In 2013, almost 3,300 French Jews immigrated to Israel, an increase of 70 percent compared with the previous year. It was the first time ever that Jewish immigration from France outstripped that from the United States.
The main factors behind the recent wave of immigration from France have been rising anti-Semitism in the country and a depressed economy. With an estimated 500,000 Jews, France is home to the third largest Jewish community in the world.
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