Overview on Aliyah		Source: Israel Ministry of Forein Affairs
The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and the ingathering of exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel... From the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, 1948

The Hebrew word for immigration to the Land of Israel is Aliyah (lit. ascent). The meaning of ascent in this context is spiritual as well as physical; all Jews are educated in the belief that this ascent is an essential part of Judaism. It is the ultimate form of identification with one's people, the Jewish people, whose life and destiny are inextricably tied to the Land of Israel. Aliya is therefore a fundamental aspiration of Zionism and the raison d'etre of the State of Israel. The Law of Return (1950) grants every Jew the right to come to Israel as an immigrant and automatically become a citizen. Since the establishment of the State, more than two and a half million immigrants have made aliya; their expertise and talents have contributed immeasurably to the country's economic, scientific, academic and cultural life.

Why make Aliya?

Tel Aviv Photo by naama

The reasons why Jews immigrate to Israel run deep within the history, faith and psyche of the Jewish people. According to Jewish biblical tradition, God gave the Land of Israel to Abraham and his descendants for all time. The believing Jew, therefore, sees the Land as part of the religious/national heritage of the Jewish people, and attaches special merit to living there.

Modern Zionism, the century-old political movement for the return of the exiled Jewish people to their historic homeland, is the secular side of this same coin: inspired by a mix of 19th century nationalism and centuries of Jewish homelessness and oppression, Zionism sees Israel as the Jewish homeland - a place where all Jews can achieve fullest expression of their Jewish identity as well as a refuge for the persecuted.

By far the largest numbers of immigrants come to Israel from what Israelis term 'the countries of distress' - places where Jews are unwelcome, harassed or actively persecuted. Throughout its 53 years, however, Israel has also welcomed hundreds of thousands of emigrants from the western world - people driven principally by idealism. Some 200,000 have immigrated to Israel from the Americas during this period, and more than double that number from Western Europe (not including Holocaust survivors). Immigrants today are attracted not only by their faith or Zionism but also by lifestyle and employment opportunities in the modern high-tech nation that Israel has become.

Source: Israel Ministry of Forein Affairs

The Law of Return

See full text: The Jewish Federation for Israel

The Law of Return, 5710-1950 Every Jew has the right to come to Israel as an Oleh (immigrant), unless they are engaged in an activity directed against the Jewish people; or is likely to endanger public health or the security of the State. Who is considered Jewish? A person who was born of a Jewish mother or has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion. Who else has this right? A child and grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew and the spouse of a grandchild of a Jew, except for a person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion, also has the right to return. See full text: The Jewish Federation for Israel

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