Israel prepares for potential surge in French aliyah amid unrest

Israel is preparing for a possible surge in Jewish immigration (aliyah) from France as nationwide protests and violent clashes have intensified across the country.

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer urged the government to prepare for what he described as potentially “massive” immigration from France, with a focus on ensuring that French Jews can make aliyah regardless of their financial means.

“We need to remove the barriers in order to allow them to come here,” Sofer said, according to sources who attended the meeting.

Sofer also emphasized the need to assist not only wealthier French Jews but also those with more limited financial resources. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly said the government should allocate funding to assist economically vulnerable immigrants and develop housing projects to accommodate a potential increase in arrivals.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the proposal, telling Cabinet ministers, “We need to do this,” and instructing Sofer, Smotrich and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli to formulate a joint plan.

The call for preparations comes as aliyah from France is already rising sharply. Nearly 4,000 French Jews have immigrated to Israel so far this year, according to Israeli officials, roughly 40% more than during the same period last year. In 2025, 3,357 French Jews made aliyah, compared with 2,234 in 2024 and 1,097 in 2023.

The number of French Jews expressing interest in aliyah has also risen, with about 2,500 opening aliyah files through the Jewish Agency’s Global Aliyah Center during the first part of 2026, an increase of approximately 30% over the same period last year.

France is home to approximately 500,000 Jews, making it the largest Jewish community in Europe.

The latest unrest has added to concerns about the security of French Jews. National Missions Minister Orit Strock warned the Cabinet that the protests could pose a more immediate threat.

“The people behind these protests are anti-Jewish and anti-Israel elements,” Strock said. “Jews are currently afraid to walk around France displaying Jewish symbols. The prime minister must act now vis-à-vis France and prepare an emergency plan to protect those Jews.”

Strock’s comments came as protests that began over deteriorating conditions in French schools, including teacher shortages, overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure, expanded into wider unrest. French officials have acknowledged the protesters’ grievances while condemning the violence that has accompanied some demonstrations.

On Tuesday, protesters held a nationwide “day of rage,” with demonstrations in cities across France. Police used tear gas in several locations, while some protests involved arson, attacks on police and vandalism. More than 6,000 people have been arrested since the unrest began, according to French authorities, with the overwhelming majority being minors.

For French Jews, the unrest comes on top of longstanding concerns over antisemitism. More than 6,500 French Jews have moved to Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to Israeli authorities.

The unrest has also highlighted tensions over Israel in France. On Monday, French European Parliament Member Rima Hassan of the left-wing "France Unbowed" party removed an Israeli flag from a European Parliament exhibition commemorating victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Parliament President Roberta Metsola said the incident was being taken “extremely seriously,” while Hassan’s office said she removed the flag to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza and that the EU flag fell accidentally.

Christian organizations are also responding to the increase in French immigration to Israel. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), for example, has sponsored special flights bringing French Jewish families to Israel and has made French aliyah a major focus of its 2026 activities.