The surprising three countries that were the biggest source of Aliyah so far this year

JUDY MALTZ: Figures show France, Argentina and Chile lead the way, with increased interest in immigration also from US and Britain

IMMIGRATION TO ISRAEL rebounded in the first half of this year but is still not back to pre-pandemic levels, government figures obtained by Haaretz show.

According to Aliyah and Integration Ministry figures, a total of 11,824 new immigrants arrived in Israel between January and June 2021 – up 30 percent from the same period last year, but 20 percent lower than the same period in 2019.

Early on in the coronavirus crisis, government and Jewish Agency officials were predicting that Israel’s initial success in keeping the virus under control would fuel a wave of aliyah. That has yet to happen.

As a matter of policy, Israel allowed immigrants into the country throughout the pandemic, with rare exceptions. But because flights were limited and travel was subject to severe restrictions, aliyah slowed down dramatically last year.

FULL STORY Why Aliyah from France, Argentina and Chile surged in first half of 2021 (Haaretz)

Photo: A group of new immigrants after arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport last year (Yonit Schiller)