The number of Jews immigrating to Israel has dropped 43 percent in the six months since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.

From April to September 2023, 23,073 people moved to Israel under the Law of Return. From October 2023 to March 2024, the number dropped to 12,977. 

The statistics were provided by the Jewish Agency for Israel, which is funded by the Jewish Federations of North America and other donors. JAFI, on behalf of the Israeli government, determines eligibility for people seeking to move to Israel under the Law of Return, which grants people with at least one Jewish grandparent and their spouses the right to Israeli citizenship.

Numbers for the comparable six months a year earlier were three times higher, with 41,007 people moving to Israel between October 2022 and March 2023. But those numbers reflected a spike in immigration from Russia and Ukraine due to the outbreak of war in Ukraine, according to JAFI spokesperson Yigal Palmor.

Yael Katsman, a spokesperson for Nefesh B’Nefesh, which promotes aliyah from the U.S. and Canada, cautioned against attributing the decline in the last six months solely to the attacks. Katsman said immigration is typically higher in summer than in fall and winter.

Immigration from the U.S. showed a decline of 42 percent in the last six months, with 1,590 Americans immigrating to Israel from April to September 2023, compared to 917 from October 2023 to March 2024. The year-over-year October-March numbers declined also but only by 13 percent, with 1,051 American moving to Israel from October 2022 to March 2023. 

Trend may soon reverse

Both Katsman and Palmor said they expect the trend to reverse soon. Katsman said Nefesh B’Nefesh has seen applications for aliyah double since Oct. 7, even though some applicants are waiting to implement their plans. 

Katsman said that historically, in times of crisis, “individuals who might have been sitting on the fence are galvanized to move to Israel. It is the ultimate expression of an individual’s unwavering commitment to building Israel and the resoluteness of the Jewish people to their homeland.”

Palmor agreed.

"The number of olim (immigrants making aliyah) has understandably sloped down since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and the ensuing war in Gaza: Some potential olim have put their plans on hold, while others found it impossible to book a flight,” Palmor said. “We have registered, however, a remarkable leap in aliyah applications, mostly in the U.S. and France, but also in Canada and the U.K. This means the tide will certainly turn in the coming months, when the security situation will stabilize, as we all hope."

A new company called Belong seeking to capitalize on that spirit launched earlier this month offering relocation services for immigrants to Israel for $270 a month (about 1,000 Israeli shekels). Those services include help finding housing, jobs and schools along with guidance in applying for things like government assistance or bank loans. CEO Eilon Giland said the company believes the growth in antisemitism around the world since Oct. 7 will ultimately “drive Jews to Israel.” 

The top seven countries sending immigrants to Israel for all three periods were Russia, the U.S., Ukraine, Belarus, France, Argentina and Canada. 

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.

Beth Harpaz is a reporter for the Forward. She previously worked for The Associated Press, first covering breaking news and politics, then as AP Travel editor. Email: harpaz@forward.com.