6.7.06

Aliyah 2006: Here they come!

Ten special flights of new immigrants to land in Israel this summer from North America, France and Great Britain. For the first time in decades - 650 new immigrants from France to arrive in one day.

This summer, 2,000 new immigrants from North America, France and Great Britain will arrive in Israel on ten special flights sponsored by the Jewish Agency, in conjunction with two organizations specializing in immigration and absorption assistance: North America-based group “Nefesh B’Nefesh" and France-based group AMI (Aliyah Meilleur Integration).

According to Jewish Agency estimates, 24,000 people, from countries all over the world, will immigrate to Israel in the course of the year 2006, up from the 22,657 people who made aliyah in 2005.

During the summer months, six El Al flights will land in Israel carrying 1,500 new immigrants from North America. By the end of the year, it is estimated that there will be a total of 3,400 new immigrants from North America, up from 2,987 in 2005.

In parallel, three special ISRAIR flights - two from Paris and one from Marseille - will land in Israel on July 25th, bringing 650 new immigrants from France. This is the first time in decades that such a large number of French immigrants has arrived in one day. There are expected to be 3,500 new immigrants from France this year, as opposed to 3005 in 2005.

Also this summer, for the first time, there will be a special El Al flight from Great Britain bringing 100 new immigrants. Since the beginning of the year, there has been a marked rise in immigration from Great Britain. By the end of May, the number of new immigrants from Britain was 219, up from 134 over the same period last year. By the end of the year 2006, 500 British immigrants are expected to have arrived in Israel.

http://www.ynetnews.com