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2008 Sees 9,000 Jews Moving To Israel

Posted by EU Times on Jan 12th, 2009 // No Comment

(And the entire world says in unison “don’t let the door hit you on the way out”.)

The number of returning citizens has increased by a record-breaking 95-percent this year and is, for the first time in Israel’s history, higher by 50 percent of the number of new immigrants, according to the Absorption Ministry’s annual statistical roundup for 2008 which was released Sunday.

The data, which pertains to people who moved this year to Israel under the Law of Return for Jews and their relatives, shows the number of returning Israelis has increased from 4,535 in 2007 to approximately 9,000 returnees in 2008.

israelisociety

In an interview with Haaretz about the annual report, Erez Halfon, the Absorption Ministry’s director-general, revealed that his office is working with the Jewish Agency on getting the government to approve a newly-completed plan for increasing immigration from South Africa.

The plan, Halfon said, would “significantly increase grants which are meant for housing for immigrants from South Africa.” He explained this was needed because of “the difficult situation in South Africa, which is making Jews there more interested in emigrating than ever before.” Halfon added: “We have to do everything now to facilitate their immigration into Israel, and everything to prevent them from leaving for Canada or Australia.” Halfon also said he hopes to have the program approved in 2009.

In explaining the increase in the number of returnees, Halfon said that it mostly owes to a far-reaching tax reform plan that the government announced earlier this year which, in a bid to attract expatriates and Western immigrants, offers a 10-year exemption on taxation of out-of-state income and other concessions. When asked whether the increase could also be a result of the world financial crisis, Halfon said that although “this had some effect” the data does not suggest any substantial increase in demand for immigration over the past three months.

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