35,000 Jews have immigrated to Israel since last year's Hamas Oct 7 terror attack

Approximately 35,000 Jews worldwide have immigrated to the Jewish state since the Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel in 2023, according to a Jewish Agency report published on Sunday.

The data revealed that Jewish immigrants hail from some 100 countries, with 31,000 moving to Israel in 2024.

Approximately one-third of the new immigrants were young people aged 18 to 35 and some have already enlisted with Israel Defense Forces.

The chairman of the Jewish Agency, Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Doron Almog welcomed the development by stressing the connection between Israel and Jews around the world.

"The Jewish Agency works to strengthen and revitalize the State of Israel in a variety of ways that are possible thanks to the connection we forge with diaspora Jews," Almog stated. "This commitment, which has been felt so strongly since the October 7 massacre, is the source of strength for the healing of Israeli society."

The Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis shocked millions of Jews and non-Jews all over the world. While Jewish immigration to Israel initially dropped after the October 2023 massacre, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration reported in April that Diaspora Jews were increasingly interested in moving to the Jewish state.

“Since the start of the war, there has been a 300% increase in aliyah applications from France, a 150% jump from Canada, a 100% rise from the United States and a 40% increase from the United Kingdom,” the Jewish News Syndicate reported last February.

The increase in Jewish immigration to Israel following Oct. 7 is attributed to rising global antisemitism and a strengthened sense of Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish state.

In February, a high-level executive at Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that is dedicated to facilitating North American Jewish immigration to Israel, predicted “intensified Zionism and identification with Israel” after the October 7 attack would eventually “spur a new wave of Aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel) in the near future.” The executive also predicted that 2024 would be “a record year for North American Aliyah.”

A whopping 10,000 cases of antisemitism have been registered in the United States alone since Oct. 7, 2023, according to an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report in October. This represents a 200% increase in antisemitic cases compared to the previous year.

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt issued a warning against the rising levels of antisemitism in America.

“Today, we mourn the victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, marking one year since the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. From that day on, Jewish Americans haven’t had a single moment of respite,” Greenblatt said.

“Instead, we’ve faced a shocking number of antisemitic threats and experienced calls for more violence against Israelis and Jews everywhere,” he added.

Yaakov Hagoel, the chairman of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), recently reflected on the challenges for Zionists worldwide.

"Antisemitic incidents worldwide have surged dramatically. We are witnessing an eightfold increase in Antisemitic events, amounting to hundreds of such incidents per day globally. The most troubling issue is that many Jews in the diaspora are beginning to accept this situation as normal,” said Hagoel.