From Bon Voyage to Shalom...

Yesterday, 330 Jews from France made Aliyah through the help of the AMI fund. The AMI fund is a private venture, started with seed money from the Jewish Agency, intended to encourage Aliyah by providing financial support to French Olim, as well as arraigning for "community absorption," where immigrants settle together in neighborhood clusters around the country.

These Olim are part of the 3,300+ Jews expected to make Aliyah from France this year, the highest total in 30 years.

"The main reason is an ideological reason, a Zionist reason," said Arieh Azoulay, chairman of the Jewish Agency's Aliyah and absorption committee, pointing to intermarriage rates over 50% which threaten the next generation's ability to retain its Jewish identity.

"The wave of anti-Semitism [only] enhances the Zionism of Jews in France," he said.

Whatever it takes... We're just happy to be able to say "Welcome Home"!

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