Two Planes of French Jews Immigrate to Israel 

July 25, 2005 / 18 Tammuz 5765
by Ezra HaLevi
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=86465

Two planeloads of immigrants from France arrived in Israel Monday, 
marking the largest French immigration to Israel in decades.  

The 330 new immigrants arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on two flights, 
from Paris and Mareseille, which arrived simultaenously. 

The mass Aliyah (immigration to Israel) was organized by the 
Jewish Agency and AMI, a voluntary organization set up by 
French Jews to provide assistance for immigrants from France, 
modeled after the Nefesh b’Nefesh Aliyah assistance organization 
which assists immigrants from North America. AMI grants financial 
aid to those who need to pay back loans or move their businesses 
to Israel, as well as stipends for students making Aliyah.

The new immigrants were greeted by President Moshe Katzav, 
other government officials and mayors of towns they will be 
settling in.

The new immigrants include 100 children and 70 recent high school 
graduates who will begin their university studies in Israel. 
The students will begin special preparatory Hebrew-language 
programs at Tel Aviv University, Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan 
and Jerusalem’s Hebrew University.

Most of the new immigrants will be taking part in the Absorption 
Ministry’s Community Absorption Program. “The aim was to create 
a community of immigrants while still in France, and for them to 
make Aliyah together, and to assist in their absorption once in 
Israel on a group basis,” said French Aliyah representative 
Arielle Di Porto. 

The towns chosen for the groups of olim (new immigrants) to settle 
in are Netanya, Be’er Sheva, Modi'in, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beit 
Shemesh and the city of Ariel in the Shomron. 

In the first half of 2005, there was a 30% rise in immigration from 
France compared to the same period the previous year, according 
to Jewish Agency statistics. “During July, 900 people will immigrate 
to Israel from France,” said Jewish Agency Immigration and 
Absorption Director Mike Rosenberg. “By the end of the year, 
it is expected that 3,300 new immigrants will arrive from France - 
the highest number from that country in 35 years.”

Israel National Radio’s Walter Bingham was at Ben Gurion Airport 
for the arrival of the new olim. “There was a buzz here on the 
tarmac among family members of the new arrivals as the planes 
flew overhead,” Bingham reported from the scene. 

Four Torah scrolls were also brought to Israel together with the new 
immigrants, signifying a continually increasing flow of France’s 
Jewish community toward the Jewish homeland. “France still has 
a Jewish population of about 600,000, but Aliyah continues to 
increase and we hope all of French Jewry will come home soon,” 
Bingham said, summing up the sentiments of those who addressed 
the new immigrants upon arrival.