Aliyah
Aliyah is the Hebrew word for immigration to Israel — literally "ascent." It is the term used for the act of a Jewish person moving to Israel to become a citizen, and it carries religious, historical, and national significance that distinguishes it from ordinary immigration. The State of Israel was founded in 1948 on the principle of ingathering the exiles — the idea that Israel exists as the homeland and refuge for Jews worldwide.
The Law of Return, passed by the Israeli Knesset in 1950 and amended in 1970, gives every Jew the right to immigrate to Israel and receive citizenship. The law extends to spouses, children, and grandchildren of Jews. This legal framework has no direct parallel in any other country — it defines Israeli citizenship eligibility by Jewish lineage and identity rather than purely by place of birth or naturalization criteria.
Aliyah waves have shaped Israeli demography and the economy at every stage of the country's history. The major waves include the founding generations from Europe and the Middle East in the 1940s and 1950s; the mass immigration from the Soviet Union and former Soviet states in the 1990s (approximately one million people in a decade, transforming Israel's scientific and engineering base); the Ethiopian Jewish community (Operation Moses, 1984; Operation Solomon, 1991); and ongoing immigration from France, the United States, the UK, and Latin America through the 2010s and 2020s.
The 2020s have produced a distinct wave of economically motivated aliyah from Western countries — driven partly by antisemitism, partly by the appeal of Israel's technology economy, and partly by quality-of-life considerations. The Israeli government has invested significantly in absorption infrastructure including language education (ulpan), employment programs, and housing assistance for new immigrants.
For businesses and investors, aliyah is relevant in several ways. Israel's Olah Chadash (new immigrant) tax benefits provide significant exemptions on foreign income for up to ten years — making Israel a tax-efficient base for globally mobile entrepreneurs and executives. The aliyah pipeline also feeds Israel's technical talent pool, which is a primary asset of the Startup Nation.