‘I could breathe’: The young people choosing to call Israel home post Oct 7

The ongoing Gaza conflict, 12-day Iran war and tense political landscape doesn’t appear to be stopping the youngest members of the Jewish diaspora from making aliyah.

In fact, 2024 was Australia's highest aliyah rate in the past five years – 184 Australians chose to go from down under to up over (aliyah literally translates to rise up). They join the over 32,000 new olim last year, a third of which are aged between 18 and 35.

Avichai Kahana, Director General of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, which oversees funding and outreach for aliyah, told The Jewish Independent that he was impressed with the migration figures.

“Usually in a war people are escaping…[the 2024 numbers] are amazing and we’re doing our best,” Kahana said.

So why are so many young people choosing to uproot their local – and comparatively safe – foundations to start a brand new life in Israel? A life where conflict, protest and unrest are a mainstay? We speak with three young olim to find out.

Gabriel, 29, “never planned” on making aliyah. Originally from Perth, Gabriel studied psychology and found himself living a “normal life”. That was, until October 7 – when he started feeling “very powerless and unsettled in Australia”. 

Gabriel didn’t attend a Jewish day school and had a loose connection to Judaism and the Jewish community. When October 7 happened, he was shocked at the lack of global support for Israel. He “had life long friends who immediately came out as very anti-Israel”, and consequently stopped “meeting new friends or going to social things”.