“We were more scared to stay in England than come to Israel because of the uncertainty in Europe. We also realised that our children would likely not live their lives in England and that if we stayed, we would have to accept the fact that they would move away,” said Phillips.
“People have been incredibly welcoming. They look at us with admiration and such respect that we decided to come while the war is ongoing. It gives those who made the move earlier the confidence that Jews are still coming.”
Eric Rubin and his wife Sue moved to Israel from Maryland less than a week after the Hamas attack. “I looked at my wife and said, ‘I can’t stay here anymore.’ She told me, ‘If you can get plane tickets, let’s go’,” Rubin told the JC. “It did not seem fair for us to sit at home safely while Israel was under attack."
The Rubins had long planned to make the move but pushed up the date following Hamas’s massacre of 1,200 people.
“It was very emotional. I wanted to be there for my people and also to show the terrorists that nothing would stop us from coming,” Rubin said.
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Eric and Sue Rubin (Photo: Eric Rubin)[Missing Credit]
“I am proud to be here with my Jewish and Israeli family. It made us more resilient. In America, when something goes wrong, you stay home. Here, we’ve adopted the attitude of waking up every morning and living our best life because who knows what tomorrow will bring,” he added.
The special report by the Jewish Agency’s Global Aliyah Centre, operated in collaboration with Israel's Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption, showed an increase of 355 per cent in the opening of immigration files in France, 87 per cent in Canada, 63 per cent in the UK and 62 per cent in the United States.
“Israel went through one of its biggest crises and people want to take part in rebuilding a country they see as their home,” Shay Felber, director of the Aliyah and Absorption Unit at the Jewish Agency, told the JC.
Felber noted a similar exodus after the Yom Kippur War in 1973. He also attributed the latest wave to the rise of antisemitism across the globe, which has made many Jews feel unwelcome.
"They understand that it is time to leave and see Israel as the future,” Felber said, adding the trend was expected to continue in 2025.
“We are not only speaking about potential olim [immigrants], this translates into actual newcomers to Israel. We noticed a 50 per cent increase in aliyah from France and 25 per cent from North America,” Felber said.
Dov Lipman, a former Knesset member and the founder and CEO of Yad L’Olim, said that since October 7 his organisation has helped an increasing number of Jewish immigrants settle in Israel.
“For some, it’s a desire to be with their people in a time of need. For others it’s the rise in antisemitism and the recognition that Israel is home for the Jewish people," said Lipman.
"We have been working really hard to give these families guidance and assistance as they plan their aliyah and after their moves,” he added.
Jonathan Deluty moved from New Jersey to Israel with his wife, Atara, and two young daughters on July 31.
“I served in the IDF Paratroopers Brigade in 2014. During my army service, I made a vow that if everyone in my platoon made it home in one piece, I would make aliyah in 10 years time," Deluty told The JC.
"When October 7 happened, it became clear to me that it was time to go,” he said.
When thousands of Hamas terrorists and Gazan civilians invaded Israel on Simchat Torah, Deluty, an observant Jew, could not use his phone. Instead, he stopped people he knew on his way to synagogue to ask them for news.
“My heart started to sink. I worked in New York City and, to me, it felt like 9/11," Deluty said.
“My friends started going off to war. I knew people who were directly involved. My social worker in the army attended the Supernova music festival and some of her friends didn’t make it," he continued. "Edan Alexander, who is still held by Hamas in Gaza, is from Tenafly [in Jersey] and I am from Englewood, a town right next to his."
Deluty said it was important for him to raise his daughters in a country where they could play a central role in determining the Jewish people's future.
“I did not feel that I was running away from America, but wasn’t completely sure whether in 40 years from now my daughters would end up having to,” he said.
“My grandfather is a Holocaust survivor. Jewish history is about thinking you’re safe, prospering and in the end it wasn’t as safe as you thought,” he added.
