Since the creation of the State of Israel 50 years ago in 1948, about 60,000 French Jews have settled there, with about 2,000 departures per year. In Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), meeting with high school students from the Maimonides Jewish school group who want to leave for Israel in order to fulfill their aliyah. Interviews with KEREN, JONATHAN, who evoke the natural process of returning to Israel, also addressing the problems with the Arab neighbors and the identity fracture in Israeli society. Then interview with Yosef HAKLAI, director of the Jewish Agency of Paris, who notes that the candidates at the beginning in the late 1960s were rather left, whereas now they seem more right-wing, religious and nationalist.
Departures for Israel are becoming increasingly common in the Marseilles Jewish community, an approach encouraged by the Israeli government through the Jewish agency; an alyah information fair was held today at the Damyel space Meeting with a young high school student who is considering medical studies in Israel or a military career, then with a possible candidate at the beginning who evokes a rise of anti-Semitism in France country that she also likes, Interview of Olivier RAFOWICZ, of the Jewish Agency, which explains that in 2002, 2600 people left France for Israel.
Religious, business leaders, lay people, pioneers in the new territories, gentleman farmers, many Alsatian Jews have chosen to live in Israel. Among them, the Chief Rabbi WARSCHAWSKI of Strasbourg, who moved to Israel in 1987, evokes the meaning of aliya, the rise of French expatriates back to the biblical homeland.
French Jews are among the most numerous to emigrate to Israel, as part of the law of return, alyah. The fiftieth anniversary of the State of Israel is an opportunity for new beginnings. Meeting with a family, Mikaël and Sonia DAHAN and their little daughter, whose move to Israel is scheduled. Interview with Yosef HAKLAI, director of the Alyah department at the Jewish Agency of Paris, who explains the differences between the waves of departures in the 1960s-1970 which concerned rather young people of left and today rather candidates motivated by a religious ideal.
At Orly airport, five hundred French Jews leave to make their alya to Israel to settle in the country, despite the context of war in Lebanon, including Haifa located in the north and recently hit by Hezbollah missiles. Upon arrival at Tel Aviv airport, the new emigrants were welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, proof of the Israeli government’s attention to the alyah of the Jews of France. Testimonials of Betty BENHAMOU who is aware of military tensions in the country, of Ruth and Philippe ZERBIB, she teacher in mathematics without a job planned on her arrival, of Lionel BENCHETRIT, without work or language skills and who intends to settle in the colony of Ofra in the West Bank. Interview with David ROCHE, director general of the Jewish Agency, who believes that this alyah is proof that the Jews are sure of the future of Israel.
Report in Israel in Tel Aviv and Ofra in the West Bank, devoted to the motivations that led French Jews to emigrate. Testimony of a young French expatriate couple, Sarah and Arieh, settled for a year in Tel Aviv, who explain why they decided to leave France. Then encounter with French Jews who had just made their alya by settling in the colony of Ofra for economic or religious reasons.
Last year’s appeal by Ariel Sharon to encourage French Jews to emigrate to Israel was heard. This year, 3,300 French Jews made their Alya ("Ascent to the Promised Land"). Meeting and testimony of Olivier SAHEL, French teacher, who goes to Israel with his wife, dental assistant, and their two children, meeting at the airport three hundred French of Jewish confession who decided to leave also. Images of the arrival in Tel Aviv and evocation of some political interests of the Israeli government to bring future Jewish citizens.
Report devoted to the decision of a number of Jews to emigrate to Israel because of the rise of anti-Semitism in France and after the recent appeal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel SHARON on this subject. Meeting with a Marseilles Jewish family in the midst of preparations for departure and interviews with other French members of the Marseille Jewish community, which has about 60,000 Jews in the region and who have made the choice to stay.
In recent years, thousands of French Jews have decided to make their alya by emigrating to Israel. Recent buildings have been built to welcome newcomers, a third of which are located in the city of Netanya, a coastal city located north of Tel Aviv, a kind of small Paris with its many shops offering héxagonaux products. Images of Netanya and testimonies of French emigrants explaining the reasons for their departure, including insecurity, anti-Semitism (assassination of Ilan Halimi), attacks (assassinations of Jewish children by Mohammed Merah, taking of murderous hostages at the Hyper Cacher).
Meeting with French women who came to settle in Israel. Danièle, a psychologist by profession who arrived in Israel eight months ago, explains the principle of alya, called the law of return to Israel (enacted in 1948), referring to the structures put in place (work, housing) to facilitate the integration of newcomers.
Meeting with French women who came to settle in Israel. Following and end of the interview with Danièle, psychologist who arrived in Israel for eight months, who explains the need to learn Hebrew through courses (oulpan) offered by the Jewish agency, in order to better integrate her work into Israeli society. Despite these language difficulties, the young woman says she feels at home in Israel.
Meeting with French women who came to settle in Israel. Following the interview with Danièle psychologist arrived for eight months in Israel, which explains why she did not make her alya, her return to Israel, earlier, stressing her disagreement, she and her companion, with the policy of the Jewish state, They also mentioned economic reasons and then the click following the alya undertaken by some of their friends, which reinforced their decision to take the plunge.
Meeting with French women who came to settle in Israel. A young woman, Olga, in a relationship with David, explains the operation of an integration center (merkaz klita) intended to accommodate hundreds of families, providing courses in Hebrew (ulpan) for five months. The recent expatriate explains her daily life in the integration center (merkaz klita) where the Jewish agency provides for the first six months integration assistance for newcomers who have decided to do their alya, their return to Israel.