Israel has seen a 30% decrease in Aliyah from most Western countries as a result of the cost of living and housing crises, according to Aliyah and Absorption Ministry director general Dganit Sankar-Langa. Sankar-Langa spoke on Monday at a meeting of the Aliyah, Absorption and Diaspora Committee of the Knesset, chaired by MK Oded Forer.
The Ministry's data shows that in the last decade, about 350,000 olim immigrated to Israel from around the world. In 2022, a record number of 74,370 olim immigrated to Israel, mainly due to the war in Ukraine. According to Sankar-Langa, the decrease in Aliyah from Western countries was in data that compared Aliyah in 2021 and 2022.
Forer, a member of the Yisrael Beitenu Party and a former director general at the Aliyah and Absorption Ministry, said that he will “appeal to the Ministers Finance and Aliyah Ministers, in order to extend the Aliyah grant for this year.”
Forer added that he will ask the ministers to “add a budget for additional employees to be hired at the Population Immigration Authority and Nativ.”