- Twice as many Jews and eligible relatives from the former
Soviet Union are now choosing to immigrate to Germany rather than Israel,
The Jerusalem Post has been told.
-
- Overall immigration to Israel has fallen to its lowest
levels since the late 1980s, Jewish Agency officials have told the Post,
and the growing "loss" to Germany of Jews from the FSU is at
the heart of the decline.
-
- Preliminary figures for 2004, the officials say, show
aliya from around the world at 22,000, down from 25,000 in 2003. Aliya
from the FSU is down to 10,000, from 12,500 in 2003. By comparison, immigration
to Germany of Jews and their eligible relatives from the former Soviet
Union has risen to 20,000 people. Germany offers absorption packages to
eligible immigrants that are considerably more lucrative than those provided
by Israel, and the German Jewish community is the fastest growing in the
world, the officials say.
-
- Agency officials draw some comfort from a 20 percent
rise in immigration from the US - to 2,800 from 2,400 in 2003.
-
- In a bid both to boost that trend further and to deepen
the sense of Jewish identity among young American Jews, the Agency is introducing
a program called Journey, designed for 18- to 25-year-olds primarily from
North America, to come to Israel on yearlong programs. The government has
allocated $10 million for the program in the 2005 budget. The Agency is
matching that and the participants will add their own $10 million.
-
- By 2008, officials hope that each of these parties will
be putting in $50 million, and that 20,000 youngsters will be coming on
the program. At present about 4,000 young Jews come to Israel on yearlong
programs.
-
- Meanwhile, short programs like birthright israel and
the Israel Experience will have brought a record 30,000 youngsters to Israel
by the end of this year. The 2005 target is 50,000.
-
- http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=
JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1101960940636
|
