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The term "Aliya" - meaning going up to and entering the Land of Israel - already existed in the Biblical story of the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt and was also part of the vocabulary of the prophets in their prophesies about the return to Zion after the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE).
The term "Aliya" - meaning going up to and entering the Land of Israel - already existed in the Biblical story of the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt and was also part of the vocabulary of the prophets in their prophesies about the return to Zion after the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE).
The first immigrants were Babylonian exiles who returned to Zion after being permitted to do so by the Declaration of Cyrus, King of Persia (538 BCE). From that period on, immigration has become a permanent movement in the history of the Jewish people and its essence was the gathering of those dispersed throughout the Diaspora to the Land of Israel.
In every generation since the destruction of the Temple, Jews have immigrated to the Land of Israel. However, those who came between the years 1882-1904 are generally known as the "First Aliya". The uniqueness of this Aliya stems from the special character of the people who made it up, who sought to live a life of productive work in the country, and were the forerunners of the new national awareness. The efforts of the people of the First Aliya to survive in the country were greatly assisted by Baron Edmond de Rothschild who acquired a great deal of land and supported the settlements.
In the wake of the Kishinev pogroms (1903-1905) and the spread of anti-semitism in Tsarist Russia, a second wave of Aliya came about. This Aliya put its stamp on the settlement of the Land of Israel. The members of this Aliya stressed the importance of self-realization within the framework of working the Land, founded communal settlements and greatly contributed to the revival of the Hebrew language. A further wave of Aliya - "the Third Aliya" - began in 1919 and constituted the continuation of the Second Aliya, which had been interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War.
Throughout the Second World War - despite the harsh, anti-Aliya policy of the British - Jews tried to reach the Land of Israel and came illegally both by land and sea. After the War, the illegal immigration movement became a diverse, multi - faceted organization, which was supported by the Jews living in Palestine, by the World Zionist Organization and by the Jews of the Diaspora.
With the establishment of the State of Israel, its gates were opened, and the young State was flooded with mass Aliya of Jews from all over the Diaspora. In the Declaration of Independence it was written "The State of Israel will be open to Jewish Aliya and to the Ingathering of the Exiles". On the 20th Tammuz, 5710 (5.7.51) the Knesset passed the Law of Return determining that "any Jew is entitled to immigrate to Israel".
From the establishment of the State until 1951, the population nearly doubled (with the arrival of 686,739 immigrants). The immigrants, who came and continue to come, are from every corner of the world: from the establishment of the State until 1988, 357,311 immigrants arrived from Asia, 427,350 from Africa, 824,611 from Europe, and 169,826 from America, Australia and New Zeland.
The above clearly demonstrates the specialness of the society which has been woven together in the State of Israel: it is made up of layers of Aliya, one upon the other, and in practice the absorption of Aliya in Israeli society is no more than the integration of the immigrants of today by yesterday's immigrants.
Recently, Aliya has begun again from the Soviet Union, as well as from other countries, such as Ethiopia. In the nature of things, integration into a new country, and having to cope with different ways of doing things, different customs, culture and language - is never easy.
In order to help solve some of these problems, the Ministry of Absorption has drawn up a variety of programmes One such programme is called Direct Integration and is based on the idea that immigrants may choose where they want to live. The State of Israel does not direct immigrants to particular places in Israel. This programme is likely to facilitate immigrant absorption into Israel, as well as creating a closeness between the immigrants and the society absorbing them; it is also likely to reduce the immigrants dependence on the institutions offering them assistance.
The first immigrants were Babylonian exiles who returned to Zion after being permitted to do so by the Declaration of Cyrus, King of Persia (538 BCE). From that period on, immigration has become a permanent movement in the history of the Jewish people and its essence was the gathering of those dispersed throughout the Diaspora to the Land of Israel.
In every generation since the destruction of the Temple, Jews have immigrated to the Land of Israel. However, those who came between the years 1882-1904 are generally known as the "First Aliya". The uniqueness of this Aliya stems from the special character of the people who made it up, who sought to live a life of productive work in the country, and were the forerunners of the new national awareness. The efforts of the people of the First Aliya to survive in the country were greatly assisted by Baron Edmond de Rothschild who acquired a great deal of land and supported the settlements.
In the wake of the Kishinev pogroms (1903-1905) and the spread of anti-semitism in Tsarist Russia, a second wave of Aliya came about. This Aliya put its stamp on the settlement of the Land of Israel. The members of this Aliya stressed the importance of self-realization within the framework of working the Land, founded communal settlements and greatly contributed to the revival of the Hebrew language. A further wave of Aliya - "the Third Aliya" - began in 1919 and constituted the continuation of the Second Aliya, which had been interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War.
Throughout the Second World War - despite the harsh, anti-Aliya policy of the British - Jews tried to reach the Land of Israel and came illegally both by land and sea. After the War, the illegal immigration movement became a diverse, multi - faceted organization, which was supported by the Jews living in Palestine, by the World Zionist Organization and by the Jews of the Diaspora.
With the establishment of the State of Israel, its gates were opened, and the young State was flooded with mass Aliya of Jews from all over the Diaspora. In the Declaration of Independence it was written "The State of Israel will be open to Jewish Aliya and to the Ingathering of the Exiles". On the 20th Tammuz, 5710 (5.7.51) the Knesset passed the Law of Return determining that "any Jew is entitled to immigrate to Israel".
From the establishment of the State until 1951, the population nearly doubled (with the arrival of 686,739 immigrants). The immigrants, who came and continue to come, are from every corner of the world: from the establishment of the State until 1988, 357,311 immigrants arrived from Asia, 427,350 from Africa, 824,611 from Europe, and 169,826 from America, Australia and New Zeland.
The above clearly demonstrates the specialness of the society which has been woven together in the State of Israel: it is made up of layers of Aliya, one upon the other, and in practice the absorption of Aliya in Israeli society is no more than the integration of the immigrants of today by yesterday's immigrants.
Recently, Aliya has begun again from the Soviet Union, as well as from other countries, such as Ethiopia. In the nature of things, integration into a new country, and having to cope with different ways of doing things, different customs, culture and language - is never easy.
In order to help solve some of these problems, the Ministry of Absorption has drawn up a variety of programmes One such programme is called Direct Integration and is based on the idea that immigrants may choose where they want to live. The State of Israel does not direct immigrants to particular places in Israel. This programme is likely to facilitate immigrant absorption into Israel, as well as creating a closeness between the immigrants and the society absorbing them; it is also likely to reduce the immigrants dependence on the institutions offering them assistance.
