60,000 Jewish Immigrants to Israel in 2022
The Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration has published official statistics that 60,000 new immigrants have arrived in Israel this year, the highest number in more than 20 years. And it expects another 4,000 by the end of the year.
This 128% increase from 2021 is remarkable, especially considering the global pandemic and Moscow’s recent efforts to hinder Jews from leaving Russia. It brings glory to the God who continues to honor His promises to regather Israel: “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).
“It is amazing to see the rising Aliyah figures for 2022 and over recent years,” ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman David Parsons told All Israel News recently. “The global pandemic could not stop the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, and neither can the Russian government’s threats to close the door to Jewish immigration to Israel. In fact, it is only stirring more interest in Aliyah from all the former Soviet republics.”
In the coming weeks ICEJ will assist an additional 100 Ethiopian Jews with flights and pre-flight needs, 100 Ukrainian immigrants, and 57 immigrants from other former Soviet republics. This will bring our ICEJ total to more than 3,000 this year, which includes more than 1,000 Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and 260 from Ethiopia.
A closer look at the official data reveals that most of the recent surge in Jewish immigration to Israel is due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Roughly 40,000 of the newcomers since late February were from those two countries. Between January and the end of August 2022, 47% of new immigrants to Israel were from Russia, and 25% were from Ukraine.
Jews arriving from Russia tend to be whole families, but those from Ukraine are primarily mothers, children, and the elderly who fled the war since men of combat age are required to stay and defend the country.
This presents various challenges to providing the love and support necessary to help each immigrant fit into their new life in Israel and start contributing to society. One way we have helped involved sponsoring several Aliyah summer camps this past year designed to help Jewish youths from the former Soviet republics prepare for their eventual move to Israel. We have also helped cover immigrants’ flight costs, basic aid and food packages, student learning programs, dental health care, and, of course, much wider integration needs they will face.
Through the international Naale program—which enables Jewish teenagers from around the world to study and complete their high school education in Israel—and with the ICEJ’s help, another large group of Jewish students from the former Soviet republics recently arrived to continue their education. Most of those students, aged 14–16, will make Aliyah after graduation, and 68% of their parents will follow shortly after.
According to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, most (63%) immigrants to Israel in the last year were of working age, which could boost Israel’s economy. Some 27% were between 18 and 35 years old; 21% were between 36 and 50; and 15% were between 51 and 65. Children made up 23% of the newcomers—and the rest were people 66 and older.
We are witnessing a miracle in our day that echoes Jeremiah 31:17: “There is hope in your future, says the Lord, that your children shall come back to their own border.”
God is bringing His people home to Israel, and the ICEJ is well-placed to assist in this great prophetic ingathering. With the help of our donors worldwide, we can meet the challenges and needs that arise, even before they set foot in the land—despite wars, pandemics, and any other hindrances. What a privilege it is to witness this historic return of the Jews! It is humbling to be a part of the response to God’s command to the nations to carry the Jewish people home on our shoulders and in our arms and plant them in the land with all our hearts (Isaiah 49:22).
Aliyah Statistics 2022
Worldwide Jewish Population
15,000,000
Israel’s Population
9,600,000 million
Jewish Population by Country
Israel 7,069,000
United States 6,000,000
France 442,000
Canada 394,000
United Kingdom 292,000
Argentina 173,000
Russia 145,000
Australia 118,200
Germany 118,000
Brazil 91,000
South Africa 51,000
Hungary 46,500
Ukraine 40,000
Mexico 40,000
The Netherlands 29,700
Belgium 28,000
Italy 27,000
Switzerland 18,800
Uruguay 16,300
Chile 15,800
Sweden 14,900
Turkey 14,300
Spain 12,900
Austria 10,300
Panama 10,000
Jewish Immigrants to Israel by Country (from January to September 2022)
Russia 47%
Ukraine 25%
United States 6%
France 4%
Ethiopia 2%
Other countries 12%
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