JPPI report: French aliya on decline in 2016
Findings suggest employment assistance, relocation of businesses could be key to reversing trend
A 40% decrease in immigration from France is likely by the end of 2016, according to the Jewish People Policy Institute Annual Assessment recently presented to the government.
The slowdown is due to commitments made by the French government to protect the Jewish community and fight anti-Semitism, according to the report. Other reasons mentioned were the increased terrorist violence seen in Israel during the past 12 months, and that many ideological Zionist French Jews have already emigrated.
But the most significant concern among potential French immigrants may be a fear of not being able to find employment in their chosen professional fields, or to maintain their former standards of living.
The JPPI pointed to two recent polls of French Jews which showed that some 200,000 French Jews are considering aliya. Approximately 20,000 have arrived in the Jewish state in the past three years.
But whereas there were 7,835 French immigrants in 2015, there was a 40% decrease in the first eight months of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015.
The study said that the government’s efforts to overcome deficiencies in aliya processing have been successful, but only minor improvements have been made on social and professional integration.
“In order to realize the potential of immigration from France, we should prepare a series of extra efforts, mostly in the realm of employment that will be added to the existing efforts... including a specific focus on giving direction, personally accompanying them [when looking] for employment, professional advice, and a placement system,” the report said.
One measure the JPPI recommended was to enable the relocation of French businesses by their owners to Israel. That would contribute to Israel’s economy, potentially increase the number of jobs for French-language employees, and be of benefit to other French immigrants.
In addition, structured employment programs for professionals in specific fields, such as researchers, specialist doctors, engineers, and investment consultants, should be initiated in coordination with Israeli employers. That way, qualified professionals could be matched with sectors in need of their expertise.
Finally, the report recommended establishing employment centers in cities with large French immigrant populations, to provide job seekers with career guidance, professional training courses and job placement services.
Such guidance and assistance should also be available before immigrants arrive, the report said.
“Because the French olim are highly educated (half of all French immigrants have higher education, and half are under the age of 34), there is no question that such an investment would prove productive and worthwhile for the Israeli economy,” the report concluded.
“If Israel prepares itself to offer such services, it will be able, for the first time in the history of Zionism, to welcome a mass aliya of olim from affluent countries. This would be a historic breakthrough, and would create an opportunity to test new mechanisms that may, in the future, foster largescale immigration from other Western countries. The magnitude of this challenge requires a correspondingly monumental governmental effort.”
Marc Eizenberg, President of the Qualita umbrella organization for French immigrants to Israel, said that Jews in France were hearing from friends and family members in Israel who have not encouraged them, and have even warned them from coming.
“Upon their arrival in Israel, French immigrants encounter bureaucracy and many difficulties in finding jobs that fit their professional skills which they obtained in France,” said Eizenberg.
He also pointed to difficulties that French children who emigrated with their families have had in the Israeli school system, saying that this had led to children dropping out of schools, IDF service and “the collapse of the family unit.”