Jerusalem is the leading destination for North American aliyah to Israel

In celebration of Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, the Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) aliyah organization reported that Jerusalem has welcomed the largest number of olim (immigrants to Israel) from North America in the last 20 years.

In total, since the organization's establishment in 2002, over 20,000 new olim have immigrated to Jerusalem with the assistance of NBN, in cooperation with Israel’s Aliyah and Integration Ministry, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) and JNF-USA.

1200 olim are expected this year

Furthermore, the data portrays that 227 olim have immigrated to Jerusalem as of today, with an anticipated 1200 olim expected this year. In contrast, there were 1046 olim who moved to the city in 2022, while 1313 OIim moved in 2021 and 874 olim moved to Jerusalem in 2020.

According to NBN, 944 North Americans made aliyah to Jerusalem since the last Yom Yerushalayim to the present, which includes 260 families, 240 single men and women, 155 children and 65 retirees. The oldest oleh to have moved to Jerusalem during this period was 99 years old and the youngest was a 2-month-old baby.

Most of the newcomers who have made aliyah to Jerusalem within the past year are females, including 493 females in comparison to 450 males. The top states and provinces the Jerusalem olim have originated from include New York, California, New Jersey, Florida and Ontario.

“As we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, it is inspiring to see the thousands of olim who now call Jerusalem ‘home,’ and who are making significant contributions in all areas of life in the city on an ongoing basis,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of NBN.

Thirty-seven physicians made aliyah to Jerusalem, placing them as the top professions of those choosing to live in the capital. Other leading professionals who made aliyah to the city include educators (35), lawyers (22), academics (15) and engineers (13).

Moshe Lion, Mayor of Jerusalem added that he is “proud of Jerusalem continuing to be the leading city for olim to settle in as we continue to provide a soft landing for newcomers from around the world, specifically North Americans who have contributed significantly towards advancing and strengthening our capital city and the State of Israel as a whole.” 

Yet Jerusalem isn’t the city that received the most immigrants to Israel in recent years: In September, the Aliyah and Integration Ministry reported that the city that absorbed the largest number of olim in 5782 was Tel Aviv, with 6,327 immigrants, followed by Haifa with 6,182, Netanya with 6,069, and Jerusalem with 4,285.

In addition, the number of olim from Western countries has decreased in the past few years, as the amount of immigrants from Russia and Ukraine skyrocketed and increased by hundreds of percent.