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Settling the Land

Planeload of South African Jews to make aliyah


By Stan Goodenough
February 08, 2008

After holding on in the face of increasingly out-of-control violence, South African Jews are reportedly leaving their old homeland in greater numbers than ever before, with about two-thirds of those departing Johannesburg now choosing to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel).

For the first time ever, The Jerusalem Post reported Friday, a planeload full of South African Jews will soon land in Tel Aviv as interest in making the move has doubled in the last year.

A major factor driving Jews to leave what was historically considered a relatively safe host nation is the exploding violence, which saw 126,000 armed robberies reported in the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

Two Johannesburg Jews were gunned down in theft attempts during the last week in January, sending the Jewish community there into "despair," said the Post.

Forty years ago South Africa was home to about 120,000 Jews. Today that figure stands at about 75,000.

Meanwhile, a number of dynamic communities of former South Africans have taken root in Israel.

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