While UK aliyah fell to a low of 323 in 2002, it has averaged around 500 annually since, according to an Institute for the Jewish Policy Research report in 2013.
Yigal Palmor, the Jewish Agency’s director for communications and public affairs, said it did not have the data to draw conclusions from the latest figures as it did not ask prospective immigrants their motivation for going to Israel.
UK aliyah has fluctuated over time, with 1,294 in 1983, compared to close to 1,000 fewer in 2002, he pointed out.
The current low could be “attributed to statistical undulations,” he suggested.
“It is obviously clear that no massive rush will have taken place by the end of 2018 — we’ll probably be at around 500.
“That said, people may be preparing their aliyah for the medium range, in two or three years, and we might see a rise by then. But as Abba Eban used to say: ‘It’s difficult to make predictions, especially regarding the future’.”
