About 2,800 Americans are expected to have registered as new immigrants by the end of this year, compared to 2,040 last year. The increase is largely credited to the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization, which has brought several planeloads of North American immigrants since its founding in 2002.
Jews from France, where anti-Semitism has become a major worry, also moved to Israel in growing numbers this year, up from 2,200 in 2003 to 2,400 this year, the Jewish Agency reported.
The number of Jews making Aliyah from the former Soviet Union, a major source of immigration in the past, has gone down by 10 per cent this year, from 25,000 to 22,000, said Jewish Agency spokesman Yarden Vatikai. Many Jews from the Russian countries are choosing Germany instead, where they are received as refugees.
More than three million Jews have moved to Israel since 1948, including about 110,000 from the United States and Canada.
Aliyah from the United States is also expected to continue to increase, partly due to a new effort by Nefesh B'Nefesh to register as Israel citizens immigrants who have been living in Israel without declaring citizenship. Their numbers, not including students, are estimated in the thousands.
Many permanent non-citizens have not registered because of bureaucratic tangles, a problem Nefesh B'Nefesh is offering to solve in cooperation with Israel's Interior Ministry. Other Americans living in Israel have retained their status as tourists because of tax laws. Previously, American taxation was based on citizenship, though residency now determines how one is taxed, according to Nefesh B'Nefesh.
Jews from France, where anti-Semitism has become a major worry, also moved to Israel in growing numbers this year, up from 2,200 in 2003 to 2,400 this year, the Jewish Agency reported.
The number of Jews making Aliyah from the former Soviet Union, a major source of immigration in the past, has gone down by 10 per cent this year, from 25,000 to 22,000, said Jewish Agency spokesman Yarden Vatikai. Many Jews from the Russian countries are choosing Germany instead, where they are received as refugees.
More than three million Jews have moved to Israel since 1948, including about 110,000 from the United States and Canada.
Aliyah from the United States is also expected to continue to increase, partly due to a new effort by Nefesh B'Nefesh to register as Israel citizens immigrants who have been living in Israel without declaring citizenship. Their numbers, not including students, are estimated in the thousands.
Many permanent non-citizens have not registered because of bureaucratic tangles, a problem Nefesh B'Nefesh is offering to solve in cooperation with Israel's Interior Ministry. Other Americans living in Israel have retained their status as tourists because of tax laws. Previously, American taxation was based on citizenship, though residency now determines how one is taxed, according to Nefesh B'Nefesh.