A total 24, 8000 new immigrants arrived to Israel in 2014, marking the largest number of immigrants in 5 years, mainly from France and the Ukraine. The number of olim (new immigrants) from France reached a record number of 6, 000 in one year, and for the first time, olim from France are greater than from any other country. Making up the 28% increase in olim from 2013 are also Jews from the Ukraine, which saw a doubling in their ranks from 2o13 to 4, 200 this year.
18 year old Alexandrina Zheludev made aliyah last year with the SELA (Students Before Parents) program. She was reunited with her parents from Lugansk in the Ukraine. The parents, along with a younger son Artur, aged 16, were hiding in their cellar due to violence on the streets of Ukraine and decided to join their daughter in Israel. What solidified the decision of the rest of the family was when they lost contact with Alexandrina during the war in Gaza this past summer.
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The final 140 immigrants for the year arrived on Monday September 22, greeted by members of the Jewish Agency and Natan Sharansky, who said, “Every one of the tens and thousands of immigrants who arrived in Israel this year brings and end to the 2, 000 years of wandering.”
The immigrants this year tend to be rather young, with 60% under 35 and 37% between 18 and 34. Many already have degrees and work experience and are expected to bring their talents to enrich Israeli society.
