UK Jews happy to reverse diaspora and call Israel home

The Age
http://www.theage.com.au
August 17, 2006

They are giving up their homes and leaving their extended families 
at a time of crisis. One hundred and forty Jews, ranging from a 
three-month-old baby to an 80-year-old woman, are set to begin 
a new life.

These migrants, however, are fleeing Britain for Israel. And their 
journey on a chartered El Al plane from Stansted Airport is the 
most public symbol of a striking trend: at a time when migration 
to the Jewish state from many parts of the world is either declining 
or levelling off, an increasing number of British Jews are taking 
Israeli citizenship.

Some blame anti-Semitism linked to Israel's conflicts in the 
Middle East; others cite the need to show solidarity with Israelis 
or simply the desire to live in a country where they belong to the 
majority culture.

In Israel, they will be given hero status. Officials on the plane will 
begin processing their citizenship papers and on their arrival in 
Tel Aviv at the same time as two other special flights from 
Canada and the US, Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, 
is expected to greet them.

Many of this week's migrants, who include accountants, lawyers 
and graphic designers, believe they can enjoy a better life in 
a Mediterranean country buoyed by savings in sterling.

Ilan Benjamin, his wife, Sharon, and their two children, a boy, 8, 
and girl, 6, are exchanging Liverpool for Hadera, a town hit by 
Hezbollah rockets a week ago during the month-long conflict.

"We are leaving a declining Jewish community in Liverpool," 
said Mr Benjamin, 40, a kitchen assistant. "Once it was very big, 
but now it's down to under 4000. I think many of the youngsters 
go to university and don't come back to Liverpool, they go to the 
larger Jewish communities of Manchester and London.

"There aren't many other families living the kind of life we want 
for our children. We also have no kosher restaurants, so we can't 
go out to eat."

The number of Jews migrating to Israel from Western countries, 
including Britain, France and the US, is rising each year, even as 
fewer Jews arrive from regions such as the former Soviet Union.

According to the Jewish Agency, 480 British Jews took Israeli 
citizenship last year while 550 Britons are expected to "make 
aliyah" this year.

Shira Immerglueck, a spokeswoman for the agency in Britain, 
said: "The majority of them are saying they have been thinking of 
this for a long time but decided to do this now because Israel 
needs them."

Among the migrants who have already gone to Israel this year 
are seven Britons who have joined the Garin Tzabar program, 
which recruits foreign Jews into the Israel Defence Forces.

Mark Simbler, 24, who worked for his family's business while in 
Britain, will begin military training in November.

He said: "I know from Israeli friends that going into the army is 
the best way of integrating into society. I want to know that I am 
giving back to the society that is taking me in."