North American migration to Israel on the rise

JERUSALEM — More North American Jews immigrated to Israel in 2003 than in the previous year, despite the ongoing recession in the Jewish state and the ever-present threat of terrorism.

In its end-of-the-year report, the Jewish Agency for Israel said that North American immigration, known as “aliyah,” rose approximately 20 percent over the previous year.

Some 2,400 Americans and Canadians, most of them under 35, highly educated and religiously observant to some degree, moved to the country last year, compared to about 2,000 in 2002.

The increase in North American immigration comes at a time when overall immigration to Israel is down significantly.

The country’s Central Bureau of Statistics announced at the end of December that immigration in 2003 was the lowest in 15 years. Approximately 23,000 people made aliyah in 2003, down from 34,000 in 2002. That is the lowest number since 1988, when 13,000 immigrated.