Fueled by large number of Russian immigrants moving to Israel, immigration rate surges in 2019.

Immigration to Israel is on the rise, while emigration from the Jewish state continues to decline.

Last month, Immigration Minister Yoav Galant (Likud) celebrated the arrival of 242 new immigrants from the United States and Canada with a Facebook post, touting a 21% increase in Aliyah, or immigration to Israel, over the past 12 months.

A report Monday by Globes, however, found that the increase in the rate of immigration since 2019 began is even higher, with the number of immigrants who arrived in Israel during the first seven months of 2019 up 28% over the number of immigrants during the same period in 2018.

If Israeli citizens born abroad are included, a total of 20,506 immigrants made Aliyah to Israel between January 1st and July 31st 2019, compared to 15,965 immigrants who moved to Israel during that same period in 2018.

By year’s end in 2018, a total of 31,601 immigrants had moved to Israel.

The increased level of immigration is due largely to a surge in the number of immigrants from Russia, a trend which began in 2018.

According to a December 27th, 2018 report by the Jewish Agency, 2018 saw a 45% increase in immigration from Russia, even as immigration from other Eastern European countries like Ukraine declined in 2018. More than 10,500 immigrants from Russia moved to Israel in 2018.

Immigration from Eastern Europe continued to increase in 2019, and by mid-year, it accounted for 74% of all immigration to Israel.

Last month, Nefesh B’Nefesh, an NGO working to facilitate immigration from North America to Israel, brought its 60,000 immigrant to Israel.