By: Aryeh Savir
Israel is experiencing a dramatic increase in interest in making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) among Argentine Jews, with an increase of 21% in the opening of immigration portfolios in May, 50% in July and 115% in June.
In the last five years, 8,400 Jews have immigrated from Latin American countries, mainly from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.
The Knesset’s Aliyah and Absorption Committee discussed the issue on Monday, and the committee’s chairman, David Bitan noted that last week 50 new immigrants and about 150 graduates of the Zionist youth movement arrived from Mexico as part of the “Masa” program.
The Jewish community in Mexico numbers about 45,000 people, the third-largest in Latin America, after Argentina with 200,000 Jews and Brazil with 95,000 Jews.
While the assimilation rate in South American countries stands at over 50%, in Mexico it is only 10%.
Bitan further noted that following the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis which has affected many Jewish communities, “Israel has become a destination. Here you can live a full Jewish life without fear and Israel is known for a good education for children and quality academic education for young people”
Bitan added that most Argentine Jews are middle class, mostly merchants, but due to the country’s major economic crises, they lost many of their assets, to the point that there is a real fear of the community’s ability to withstand the current crisis.
Haim-Meir Cohen, the deputy mayor of Jerusalem, a native of Uruguay and in recent years a teacher in Mexico, said that due to the political situation in South America, many Jews want to immigrate to Israel, and this should be encouraged.
Sergio Goldstein, director of Community Relations in Latin America at the Jewish Agency, described an almost complete closure in Latin America, including schools and synagogues, which is harming Jewish education and the community, and a full economic closure that harms the incomes of many Jews earning a living as merchants.
“Judaism is a community, together – and suddenly everyone is at home,” he explained. “There is a real concern in the communities of Mexico, Brazil and Argentina about the future.”
Israel is expecting a quarter of a million Olim in the next 3-5 years, Jewish Agency Chairman Isaac Herzog told the Knesset’s Immigration and Absorption Committee this month, a wave of immigration following the global Coronavirus crisis.
(TPS)
