Number of British Jews making Aliyah surges amid spike in antisemitism

Immigration to Israel from Britain rises by roughly one-third, while applications for Aliyah soar by 90% in Australia.

By World Israel News Staff

Nearly 1,000 people moved from Britain to Israel over the past Jewish year, according to figures provided by the Jewish Agency, marking a 32% increase and extending a three-year rise in UK aliyah as the number of prospective immigrants beginning the process climbed even more sharply.

A total of 975 people made aliyah from the United Kingdom during the most recent year of the Jewish calendar – spanning September 2025 to August 2026 – up from 737 the previous year.

The increase is part of a sustained upward trend. Some 568 people moved from Britain to Israel two years ago, compared with 419 the year before, meaning annual aliyah from the UK has more than doubled over three years.

The number of British residents taking the first formal steps toward immigration has risen even faster.

Some 2,264 people in the UK opened aliyah files over the past 12 months, up 68% from 1,348 the previous year. The increase was the second-largest recorded among major Western Jewish communities, surpassed only by Australia, where applications rose by nearly 90%.

Applications increased by 31% in France and 17% in the United States.

The British increase comes despite an overall decline in immigration to Israel.

Slightly more than 20,000 immigrants from approximately 100 countries arrived over the last 12 months, down around 6% from the previous Jewish year, largely because immigration from Russia continued to fall following the surge that accompanied the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Russia nevertheless remained the largest source of immigrants, with 5,685 arrivals, followed by France with more than 4,300 and the United States with 3,333.

Britain ranked behind those countries but stood out for the pace at which its numbers are increasing.

The latest figures reinforce a trend already visible in calendar-year data. Some 742 people moved from Britain to Israel during 2025, the highest annual figure in more than 40 years.

That figure was up from 561 in 2024 and 396 in 2023.

Researchers have cautioned against describing the numbers as a mass departure from Britain, however. Over the past two decades, annual British aliyah has generally ranged between roughly 400 and 740 people, and the British Jewish population remains several hundred thousand strong.

Earlier research concluded that British Jewry “is not on the brink of an exodus,” while noting that a further sustained increase would provide stronger evidence that a new migration wave was developing.

The latest Jewish-year figures now provide another year of substantial growth, while the sharp increase in opened aliyah files suggests the pool of people seriously considering a move may be considerably larger than the number who have already left.

Not everyone who opens a file ultimately completes the process, and different Israeli bodies can also produce somewhat different aliyah totals depending on methodology, including how they count people already living or studying in Israel who later receive immigrant status.

The rise comes amid heightened concern over antisemitism among British Jews.

About 1,925 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the UK during the first half of 2026, a 21% increase from the same period a year earlier and the second-highest first-half total on record.

The monthly rate of reported antisemitic incidents during the first six months of the year was nearly double the level recorded immediately before the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Jewish institutions have also faced an increased security threat, including attacks on synagogues and communal facilities, while the UK national terrorism threat level was raised to severe in April following an antisemitic terrorist attack in Golders Green.

Previous research has found that British Jews who have personally experienced or been strongly affected by antisemitism are more likely to consider moving to Israel. Younger adults and Orthodox Jews have also been disproportionately represented among those contemplating aliyah.

Israeli officials have pointed to antisemitism as one factor behind rising immigration from Western countries, alongside political developments, stronger Jewish identification and longstanding ideological or family connections to Israel.

Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer said the increase from countries including Britain and France represented a significant opportunity for Israel.

“Every oleh who arrives strengthens society, the economy, and the resilience of the country,” he said.

Jewish Agency chairman Doron Almog similarly described continued immigration during a period of war and instability as a demonstration of the connection between Israel and Diaspora Jewish communities.

“Aliyah is the strongest response to every challenge we face,” Almog said.

The demographic profile of this year’s immigrants could also prove significant for Israel.

Around 35% of those who arrived this past year were between 18 and 35 years old, while 53% were aged 50 or younger. Among the newcomers were 414 doctors, as Israel seeks to use immigration not only as a demographic boost but also to fill shortages in skilled professions.

Tel Aviv received the largest number of new immigrants during the year, followed by Netanya, Jerusalem and Haifa. Ra’anana, Bat Yam, Ashdod and Beit Shemesh were also among the leading destinations.

The British figures are particularly notable when viewed against longer-term migration patterns.

For decades, aliyah from the UK remained relatively stable, generally involving only around two people per 1,000 members of the Jewish community each year. Britain historically had a lower aliyah rate than France, where migration to Israel has been considerably more common.

Migration between Britain and Israel has also traditionally moved in both directions. The Israeli-born population of the UK nearly doubled between 2001 and 2021, rising from just over 12,000 to more than 23,000.