Immigration to Israel Hits a Record-Breaking Year

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Immigration to Israel climbed to a 10-year high this past year, the Jewish Agency reported, quoting projected statistics from the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption.

An estimated 26,500 Jews immigrated to Israel in 2014, a 30 percent increase from 2013.

For the first time in its history, French immigration topped the numbers worldwide, while immigrants from Ukraine nearly tripled from 2013, up a whopping 190 percent.

Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky called it a "record-breaking" year marking an "historic shift."

"This year also saw an historic shift: for the first time in Israel's history, the number of immigrants who came to Israel from the free world is greater than that of immigrants fleeing countries in distress," Sharansky said.

Sharansky called the trend "evidence of Israel's attractiveness as a place where it's good to live, as well as of the success of our joint efforts to promote aliyah and strengthen connections between Jews around the world and the State of Israel."

Immigration from western European nations climbed 88 percent from last year, and the former Soviet Union saw a 50 percent increase. 

More than half the immigrants were younger than 35, including 5,300 children and 8,200 between the ages of 18 and 34.

France took the honors for the oldest immigrant, 104 years of age, while the youngest, several weeks old, came with his family from America.

Among Israel's newest citizens are more than 1,000 doctors and health professionals, engineers, artists, athletes and many with degrees in the humanities and science.