How Israel’s Population Grew to 10 Million

Several major waves of immigration from Eastern Europe, the Arab world, the Soviet Union, and Russia have multiplied Israel’s population many times over.
The process began in earnest in the mid-19th century.

Immigrants to Israel in the early 1950s. Photo: Benno Rothenberg

Immigration of Jews of the diaspora to the geographical area that historically constituted the land of Israel is called Aliyah in Hebrew (meaning “to ascend”), referring to the act of going up toward Jerusalem. It was only in the second half of the 19th century that Jews began returning to their ancient homeland large scale. Between 1881 and 1903, approximately 25,000 Jews, primarily from Eastern Europe and Yemen, immigrated to the Ottoman Empire. While some of them later left the area, several communities and cities were established that still exist today, such as Rishon LeZion, Petah Tikva, Mazkeret Batya, Gedera, and Bat Shlomo.
A second wave (aliyah) occurred between 1904 and 1914, bringing about 35,000–40,000 Jews, mostly from Eastern Europe. A third aliyah to what had now become the British Mandate of Palestine took place between 1919 and 1923, bringing another 40,000 Jews, again primarily from Eastern Europe. The fourth aliyah (1924–1929) saw 82,000 Jewish immigrants, most of whom were fleeing antisemitism in Poland.
A fifth Aliyah (1929–1936) just before World War II, led to 174,000 Jews arriving, including many from Germany. More than 4,000 white Bauhaus-style buildings were constructed in Tel Aviv between 1920 and 1940 by German-Jewish architects who had immigrated to the region to escape persecution in Nazi Germany.

Despite the Nazis’ persecution of Jews, the British restricted Jewish immigration in 1939 to just 75,000 persons over a five year period and allowed the Arab majority to decide on any additional immigration. Jews were also prohibited from purchasing Arab land in the Mandate. Even after the liberation of Auschwitz, the British continued to prevent Jewish immigration. However, illegal immigration between 1936 and 1948 still brought about 100,000 Jews into the country.
Upon the Declaration of Independence in 1948, Israel opened its borders to all Jewish immigrants, even as the newly established state was attacked by neighbouring countries. In its first session in 1949, the Knesset passed the Law of Return, a fundamental law granting every Jew the right to immigrate to Israel and become a citizen.
The Declaration of the State, which led to rising antisemitism and Jewish persecution in surrounding Arab countries, also resulted in a massive wave of immigration from Israel’s neighbouring nations. Since 1948, Algeria has seen its Jewish population decline from 140,000 to 200, Egypt from 75,000 to 100, Morocco from 265,000 to 2,100, Tunisia from 105,000 to 1,000, and Iran from 100,000 to 8,000. The entire Jewish populations of Iraq (135,000), Libya (38,000), Syria (30,000), and Yemen (63,000) have left their countries.

An equally large group of immigrants arrived from European countries after the Holocaust. This included about 30,000 survivors who had attempted to flee to the future state of Israel but were arrested by the British and placed in camps on the island of Cyprus.
Additionally, approximately 130,000 Holocaust survivors arrived from displaced persons camps established after the war, mainly in Germany. In addition, about 300,000 Jews from Eastern European countries that came under communist rule after the war also immigrated to Israel.
The next major wave of immigration came from the Soviet Union. Between 1970 and 1988, approximately 165,000 Soviet Jews immigrated to Israel. After the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1989, nearly one million Soviet Jews and their relatives immigrated to Israel under the Law of Return by 2006.