The known and the less known in Israeli international migrations

Studies of Jewish migrations require understanding the general migrations’ phenomenology, as well as the Jews’ existential context. Aliyah (ascent) is often considered to be the normative mode of Jewish migration to the State of Israel. In recent years, other types of migration, such as immigration in Israel of non-Jewish members of Jewish families under the Law of Return, temporary immigration of foreign workers, or even illegal borders crossing have become the more frequent sources of arrivals from abroad. Emigration from Israel has also become a growingly visible and debated form of migration of Jews. Aliyah is typically explained by ethno-political drivers such as the cultural-ideological pull of Israel, or the push stemming from antisemitism abroad. However, socioeconomic factors such as a country's human development, or employment levels in the countries of origin, and changes in Israel's socioeconomic attractiveness and political set-up can add to the explanation of migration frequencies from different countries and in different years. The significant overlap that exists between normative and other types of migration makes it imperative to evaluate migrations affecting Israel within one comprehensive analytic framework. The paper also suggests that a currently missing, comprehensive, all-inclusive international migration policy be developed in Israel.