US’s ‘Great Recession’ is Boon For Immigration to Israel

[otohara]

plus they won't shoot you upon arrival...unlike the Mexican (people) trying to immigrate to the US for same reason.



Dramatic increase reported in N. American, W. European immigration over past year.

Jane and Steve Fried always wanted to make aliya. Steve, who had a very religious and Zionist upbringing, lived on a kibbutz during his college years and came back to Israel during the Yom Kippur War to offer his services.

Jane also had a strong desire to immigrate to Israel, especially after she fell in love with the country while on a trip with Steve.

However, the couple lived in Hollywood, Florida, for 30 years, where they raised their kids and prospered from their 19-year-old jewelry business.

“When you have a successful business, and the income keeps coming in, it’s hard to leave,” Steve Fried said on Monday.

But when America entered its “Great Recession” in 2007, jewelry sales fell, and the Frieds saw an opening.

“We did not move for financial reasons,” Jane Fried said. “We had enough money to come and live . It was that the economy gave us an opportunity to do what we had wanted to do for so long.”

The dip in the North American and Western European economies over the past year has led to a dramatic increase in immigration to Israel. For many, like the Frieds, the role-reversal between Western and Israeli economies has made people’s long-held desire to immigrate more of a reality.

Eric Gould, of the economics department at the Hebrew University, sees the Israeli economy’s relative position providing a nudge, rather than an incentive, for people to make aliya.

“I doubt people were going purely on economic reasons,” Gould said. “The economic prospects in New York are still better, but for those who were always thinking about it, in terms of timing, the economy situation could have influenced people’s decision to move now.”

The Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh have reported a dramatic increase in North American and Western European aliya over the past year. Even as theeconomic conditions in the US stabilize, Danny Oberman, who was promoted to executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh on Monday, said that “interest remains very strong.”http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.asp...

[aquart]

1. And?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. I Think More Israelis Emigrate To America Than Vice Versa

~

[shaayecanaan]

3. Fifty bucks says they'll be back within five years

I'm presuming that all their kids have left the nest. If not, $100 says they'll be back within two years.