Since Hamas's barbaric attack on Israel on October 7, more than 200 Americans have moved to Israel.
Aaron Gold, 26, was visiting friends in Israel when the war broke out. After returning to his native Philadelphia, he felt a strong desire to return to the Holy Land, despite the ongoing war.
“Hezbollah could attack now, they could attack in six months, they could attack in six years,” he told the Times of Israel. “You can’t plan it.”
As a product manager at Deloitte, Gold packed his bags and left the City of Brotherly Love for Israel. He said “making Aliyah” (moving to the Land of Israel, which is one of the founding principles of Zionism) had always been a dream.
It became official on November 16th.
Gold is one of 218 Americans (as of Dec. 24) who are among 2,662 who moved to Israel after the Oct. 7 attack, when militant Palestinian extremist groups slaughtered more than 1,200 people and 240 hostages, Israeli officials said.
Aaron Gold, 26, pictured with his mother at the airport. Gold was among 218 Americans who left the United States for Israel following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Protesters gather in New York on December 18 for a pro-Palestinian activist march as they take part in a global strike for Gaza to demand a ceasefire
Groups gather with Israeli flags and smile as they return to their homeland
The highest numbers come from Russia at 1,635; followed by the United States with 218, Ukraine with 128, 116 people from France and 106 people from Belarus.
The ministry said the numbers were lower than the average in recent years. During the same period last year, 16,400 new immigrants arrived in Israel, according to the news agency, largely due in part to the war in Ukraine and at a time when political discord in Israel had already pushed immigration above normal levels.
Yona and Mikhael Benichou planned to move to Israel from their native France once their eldest son started university, but after October 7th they accelerated their immigration plans.
Yona told the news outlet that the events of October 7th were “the straw that broke the camel's back” and on October 31st they arrived in their new country.
The term used for newcomers is “olim”.
People gather at the airport and hold welcome signs and Israeli flags for the new arrivals
After the October 7 attack, another young man leaves his country to start a new life in Israel
She recounted a disturbing event that occurred in her hometown of Marseille before her departure, when a group of rugby fans spat at them as they walked down the street.
The family had worn clothing that showed they were Jewish before the anti-Semitic attack.
She told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: “I was completely shocked and didn't know how to react.” “Many other people saw what happened but no one tried to help us.”
Yona added: “The anti-Semites were always there.” But after October 7th, we felt that they had a platform where they could do whatever they wanted and that no one – and certainly not them French authorities – can stop them.”
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews purchased flights for the Benichous family and donated $2,000 to furnish the family's new home in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh.
Since October 7, the organization has helped 317 people make aliyah.
The new immigrants are called “olim.” The term is used for those Jews who move to Israel despite the uncertainty ahead.
The group's leader, Yael Eckstein, told the Times of Israel that she expects more people to move to Israel after the war ends. There are also concerns about the rise in anti-Semitism.
She said she had observed an “increase in the number of requests for information about the immigration process from countries where the number of anti-Semitic incidents has increased.”
Another nonprofit organization called Nefesh B'Nefesh, also called Jewish Souls United, assists with aliyah from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Since the war began, the organization has helped facilitate aliyah for 384 people from the United States and Canada.
The group's vice president of communications, Yael Katsman, told JTA that those arriving in Israel began relocating well before the Oct. 7 attack.
Eckstein and Katsman noted that there has been a “significant increase” in interest since the Oct. 7 attacks – meaning an “unprecedented increase” in aliyah applications of more than 100% compared to the same period last year, the news outlet reported.
The dramatic increase is due in part to Diaspora Jewry's increased “commitment to building Israel” during “difficult historical events.”
Jewish Agency Chairman Major General Doron Almog told The Jerusalem Post last month that the agency expects a million olim (new immigrants) to arrive in Israel in the next few years.
He said: “We expect a million new immigrants in the next few years due to increasing anti-Semitism in Jewish communities around the world.”
Last month, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League said in an appearance on MSNBC that anti-Semitism had increased a staggering 388 percent since Hamas' barbaric attack on Israel that began on October 7
The ADL Center on Extremism said preliminary data showed 312 anti-Semitic incidents, including harassment, vandalism and assault, were reported in the U.S. from Oct. 7 to Oct. 23. Pictured: Pro-Palestine groups fill Grand Central Terminal in New York
The 218 Americans moving to Israel come at a time when the country is experiencing a staggering rise in anti-Semitism.
Last month, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League said in an appearance on MSNBC that anti-Semitism had increased a staggering 388 percent since Hamas' barbaric attack on Israel that began on October 7.
Jonathan Greenblatt, who is also the head of the advocacy group, told The Sunday Show that in addition to attacks on individuals and places of worship, his group has also seen attacks on everyday businesses run by Jews.
“I’m not talking about shops that produce IDF.” [Israel Defense Forces] T-shirts; “I’m talking about a coffee shop on Long Island, an ice cream shop in the Bay Area, a restaurant in Chicago,” he said.
“Anti-Semitism has increased and increased. “We’ve seen it normalized, both from the far right and the far left,” Greenblatt added.
Greenblatt also brought up the spate of anti-Semitic incidents that have occurred on the campuses of elite colleges like Harvard and Cornell.
The ADL Center on Extremism said preliminary data showed 312 anti-Semitic incidents, including harassment, vandalism and assault, were reported in the U.S. from Oct. 7 to Oct. 23.
About 190 of these were directly related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Examples cited by ADL included alleged physical assaults; violent online messages, particularly on the messaging platform Telegram; and rallies where “the ADL found explicit or strong implicit support for Hamas and/or violence against Jews in Israel.”