Against the backdrop of rising antisemitism, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is calling on Jews from a number of countries to make “Aliyah” (immigrate to Israel).
“We stand for the right of every Jew to live in security anywhere. But today, I am calling on Jews in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, and Belgium to immigrate to Israel,” Sa’ar told participants at the “J-50” Forum.
Sa’ar founded the forum in May to create a direct, ongoing dialogue with Jewish community leaders worldwide. It provides them with briefings, public diplomacy tools, and a platform to address rising antisemitism.
Sa’ar continued, “I want you to know that I will continue to make this call. We have learned lessons from our history. I believe it is my duty to do so and to enable Jews to raise their children in a non-hostile environment, in their true home: the Land of Israel.”
Danielle Mor, vice president of Israel Allies and Global Philanthropy at the Jewish Agency, which processes those who make Aliyah, says there are eight million Jewish people in the world who are eligible to make Aliyah.
The Chairman of the Jewish Agency is hoping and planning for one million Jewish people to make Aliyah in the next five years, Mor told CBN News recently. And while that’s the case, Aliyah usually takes some time.
Mor explained that there are things the “push” people to make Aliyah, such as the state of the economy, safety concerns, the election of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, and growing antisemitism. She added that some of it depends on how much people are willing to tolerate changing patterns, such as not wearing a yarmulke and speaking about Jewish-related subjects in public.
On the other hand, there are things that “pull” people to make Aliyah, including a sense of identity, an inner calling, and the need for a better life and safety, according to Mor.
Practically speaking, she said, they’ve seen an increase in applications and Aliyah from France. From the US, they’ve seen increased interest and opening Aliyah files, but only a small to moderate increase in actual Aliyah.
