|
|
Two Planes of French Jews Immigrate to
Israel
18:57 Jul 25, '05 / 18 Tammuz
5765
By Ezra
HaLevi
|
 |
|
Two planeloads of immigrants from
France arrived in Israel Monday, marking the largest French
immigration to Israel in decades. |
The 330 new immigrants arrived at Ben
Gurion Airport on two flights, from Paris and Mareseille,
which arrived simultaenously.
The mass Aliyah
(immigration to Israel) was organized by the Jewish Agency and
AMI, a voluntary organization set up by French Jews to provide
assistance for immigrants from France, modeled after the
Nefesh b’Nefesh Aliyah assistance organization which assists
immigrants from North America. AMI grants financial aid to
those who need to pay back loans or move their businesses to
Israel, as well as stipends for students making
Aliyah.
The new immigrants were greeted by President
Moshe Katzav, other government officials and mayors of towns
they will be settling in.
The new immigrants include
100 children and 70 recent high school graduates who will
begin their university studies in Israel. The students will
begin special preparatory Hebrew-language programs at Tel Aviv
University, Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan and Jerusalem’s
Hebrew University.
Most of the new immigrants will be
taking part in the Absorption Ministry’s Community Absorption
Program. “The aim was to create a community of immigrants
while still in France, and for them to make Aliyah together,
and to assist in their absorption once in Israel on a group
basis,” said French Aliyah representative Arielle Di Porto.
The towns chosen for the groups of olim (new
immigrants) to settle in are Netanya, Be’er Sheva, Modi'in,
Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beit Shemesh and the city of Ariel in the
Shomron.
In the first half of 2005, there was a 30%
rise in immigration from France compared to the same period
the previous year, according to Jewish Agency statistics.
“During July, 900 people will immigrate to Israel from
France,” said Jewish Agency Immigration and Absorption
Director Mike Rosenberg. “By the end of the year, it is
expected that 3,300 new immigrants will arrive from France -
the highest number from that country in 35
years.”
Israel National Radio’s Walter Bingham was at
Ben Gurion Airport for the arrival of the new olim. “There was
a buzz here on the tarmac among family members of the new
arrivals as the planes flew overhead,” Bingham reported from
the scene.
Four Torah scrolls were also brought to
Israel together with the new immigrants, signifying a
continually increasing flow of France’s Jewish community
toward the Jewish homeland. “France still has a Jewish
population of about 600,000, but Aliyah continues to increase
and we hope all of French Jewry will come home soon,” Bingham
said, summing up the sentiments of those who addressed the new
immigrants upon arrival.
Click here to hear the complete coverage of
the arrival
|
Click
here for our free Daily News Report from Israel
|
Published: 18:09 July 25,
2005
Last Update: 18:57 July 25, 2005 |
 E-mail
 Print
 Homepage
 Top of page |
|
|
|
| |
