JNS.org – French-Jewish aliyah rose sharply in the first few months of 2014, according to figures released by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI).

JAFI said 854 new immigrants arrived in Israel from France in January and February 2014, up from 274 during the same time period last year. JAFI attributed the 312-percent increase to its increased efforts to strengthen relations with the French-Jewish community, and to growing anti-Semitism in France as well as a worsening economic situation in the country.

Forecasted out, JAFI expects 2014 as a whole to continue the upward trend in French-Jewish aliyah. In 2013, 3,280 new French immigrants arrived in Israel, a 70-percent increase from 1,917 in 2012. There are about 700,000 French Jews that qualify for citizenship under Israel’s Law of Return.