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ALIYA - INGATHERING OF THE EXILES | |
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| One of the principles upon which the State of Israel was founded in 1948 was the right of every Jew to live in Israel. During the first four months of independence, some 300,000 newcomers, mainly Holocaust survivors, reached Israel's shores. By the end of 1951, some 685,000 immigrants, half of them from Arab lands, had arrived, more than doubling Israel's Jewish population at the establishment of the state. Immigration to Israel has continued throughout the years. Recent waves of newcomers include the almost 30,000 members of the Jewish community of Ethiopia, believed to have existed since the time of King Solomon,
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| who were brought to Israel in Operation Moses (1984) and Operation Solomon (1991); and over 600,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union, who have arrived since 1990, having finally been permitted to emigrate after years of struggle. Each wave of immigrants presents many challenges, but also offers new opportunities for mutual enrichment.
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