Three hundred thirty Jewish immigrants from the US and Canada arrived in Israel on Wednesday, and were told by an enthusiastic Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that ”we always needed you…and now we need you much more than ever ”.
The immigrants’ arrival came in sharp counterpoint to this year’s generally bearish immigration trend: according to the Jewish Agency, the body responsible for bringing Jews to Israel, only 7 692 Jewish immigrants arrived in the country during the January-May period — well down from the 35 168 that came during 2002.
Jewish immigration to Israel is the cornerstone of Zionism, the Jewish national movement. About half the people living in Israel today were born abroad.
”I would like to welcome you to the homeland of the Jewish people for the last 4 000 years,” Sharon said at an airport ceremony.
”Israel is not an easy country. But it’s ours. It’s a wonderful country and it’s ours.”
Sharon’s appearance at the airport ceremony underscores the novelty of large scale Jewish immigration from economically advanced countries like the US and Canada. Since its founding in 1948, the bulk of Israeli immigrants have come from less developed countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Jewish Agency officials said that about 30% of the American and Canadian immigrants will live in the Etzion Bloc in the occupied West Bank, with most of the remainder headed for Israeli cities in the central part of the country.
”In all about 1 000 North American immigrants will be coming to Israel during the month of July,” Jewish Agency spokesperson Michael Jankelowitz said.
”We expect that for the entire year North American arrivals will total 2 000, up on the 1 700 that came in 2002.”
Wednesday’s immigrant arrival was sponsored by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organisation founded in late 2001 to help make it easier for North Americans to move to Israel. In addition to assisting immigrants with bureaucratic issues, it provides them with loans of $7 000 to $18 000 that do not have to be paid back if the immigrants remain in Israel for at least three years. – Sapa-AP