North American aliyah tops 4,100 in 2025, highest level in four years

(JNS) — More than 4,100 immigrants from North America made aliyah to Israel in 2025 with the support of Nefesh B’Nefesh, marking the highest annual figure in the past four years, the organization announced in a press release on Monday.

According to the data, 4,150 North American Jews immigrated to Israel this year in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and Jewish National Fund–USA. The figure represents an increase of more than 12 percent compared to 2024, when 3,706 immigrants arrived from North America.

Nefesh B’Nefesh said the rise reflects a growing sense of Zionism and solidarity among North American Jewry following the outbreak of war on Oct. 7, 2023. More than half of aliyah applicants cited solidarity with Israel as a primary motivation for immigration.

The organization reported a sharp increase in aliyah applications since the war began. Between 2022 and 2025, the number of applications opened rose by approximately 50 percent, from 8,943 in 2022 to 13,389 in 2025. In response, NBN expanded its staff and held dozens of aliyah events across North America to assist prospective immigrants.

The 2025 immigrants comprised 297 families, 946 children, 1,476 single individuals and 548 retirees. The average age was 31, with the youngest immigrant a four-month-old infant and the oldest 96 years old. Olim (immigrants) arrived from across North America, primarily from New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland, Florida and Illinois, NBN said.

“As we conclude the year, we are particularly encouraged to have reached a milestone of nearly 4,200 olim from North America,” said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, NBN’s co-founder and executive director. “These olim underscore that aliyah is not solely a personal milestone, but a national and historic endeavor.”

Many of the new immigrants arrived with professional backgrounds in high-demand fields, particularly medicine. In 2025, 93 physicians from North America made aliyah as part of the International Medical Aliyah program, a joint initiative led by NBN and several Israeli ministries. Overall, 541 physicians from around the world immigrated through the program this year.

As part of the NBN and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael “Go Beyond” program, which encourages settlement in Israel’s peripheral regions, 1,505 North American olim moved to the Negev, the Galilee and Jerusalem. Of those, 1,097 chose to settle in Jerusalem, making it the leading destination for North American aliyah.

Other popular destinations included Tel Aviv–Jaffa, Beit Shemesh, Ra’anana, Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, Netanya, Herzliya and Haifa.