1990s post-Soviet aliyah

In the years before and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, many Jews left the Soviet Union and post-Soviet countries. This was a large movement of people. Most went to live in Israel. Others moved to Western countries like the United States and Germany.

Between 1989 and 2006, about 1.6 million Soviet Jews and their families left their homes. About 979,000 of them went to Israel. This was under a special law called the Law of Return. This law allows Jews and their spouses to move to Israel and become citizens. Many of these people were Ashkenazi Jews. When they arrived in Israel, some had a special ceremony called a Brit milah that they had not had before.

Not all the people moving were Ashkenazi Jews. Some were Mizrahi Jews from groups like the Mountain Jews, the Georgian Jews, and the Bukharian Jews. These groups kept strong Jewish traditions. They often worked in business and crafts.

The Ashkenazi immigrants helped grow Israel's economy, especially in technology.

History

Immigration to Israel Total Immigrants Immigrants from the USSR and Post-Soviet states

After a big war in 1967, many Jewish people in the Soviet Union wanted to leave. They asked for special papers to leave the country, but many faced problems.

In 1989, a leader named Mikhail Gorbachev made it easier for people to leave. That year, many Jewish families began moving to new homes.

Most of these families moved to Israel, but many also went to the United States. By the early 1990s, thousands of Jewish people were leaving each year. Some traveled by plane, and others by ship. Hungary helped many people travel safely during this time.

After the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, more people were able to leave, and many went to Israel to start new lives.

Absorption in Israel

When many people moved to Israel quickly, there was a big need for homes, especially in the Gush Dan area. This made house prices rise fast. To help, the leader in charge of building homes made plans to build more houses and changed some rules to do it faster. Even with these plans, many people still did not have homes, so about 430 places with temporary houses were set up all over Israel. The largest one was in Beersheba, with over 2,000 homes.

After this, people spread out more across Israel. People with less money often moved to areas far from the center, while those with more money chose to live closer to the city center, mostly in Gush Dan. Many also moved to cities like Haifa, the Krayot area, Petah Tikva, Ariel, and Ashdod.

Soviet immigrant children in the Caravan neighborhood of Bat Yam, July 1991.

Over time, the rules for helping new residents changed. Many found jobs, but often not in areas matching their past skills. Some kept their old traditions, while others tried to mix their culture with Israeli culture. Their children grew up fully as part of Israeli society.

Some new groups formed to help represent their needs, like the party Yisrael BaAliyah, which became popular. Later, another party called Yisrael Beiteinu started, focusing on national issues. During the 1990s, many of these new residents voted against the current government leaders. As time went on, their views often leaned toward supporting stronger policies toward nearby areas.

Culturally, many kept parts of their Russian background while also taking part in Israeli life. They started newspapers and TV channels in Russian and were very involved in activities like theater and music. Even though many learned Hebrew, many still spoke Russian at home. Their children grew up speaking mostly Hebrew and feeling fully Israeli.

Demographics

Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union

Evolution among the Israeli populace

Economic integration in Israel

See also: Yozma Program

Many people who moved to Israel from the former Soviet Union found jobs and did well. They helped grow Israel's high-tech industry with their skills as scientists and engineers. This helped Israel's economy and made many companies bigger.

At first, many of these newcomers had to take jobs that were not very exciting, and some lived in tough conditions. But over time, things got better. By 2012, their average pay was about the same as people born in Israel, showing that they had helped the country grow.

Year	Total (000s)	Israel	USA	Germany	Jews according to Halakha in Israel
1970–1988	291	165	126	0	NA
1989	72	12.9	56	0.6	NA
1990	205	185.2	6.5	8.5	96%
1991	195	147.8	35.2	8	91%
1992	123	65.1	45.9	4	84%
1993	127	66.1	35.9	16.6	83%
1994	116	68.1	32.9	8.8	77%
1995	114	64.8	21.7	15.2	72%
1996	106	59	19.5	16	68%
1997	99	54.6	14.5	19.4	60%
1998	83	46	7.4	17.8	54%
1999	99	66.8	6.3	18.2	50%
2000	79	50.8	5.9	16.5	47%
2001	60	33.6	4.1	16.7	44%
2002	44	18.5	2.5	19.3	43%
2003	32	12.4	1.6	15.4	43%
2004	25	10.1	1.1	11.2	NA
2005	18	9.4	0.9	6	NA
2006	10	7.5	0.6	1.1	42%
1989–2006	1,607	979	325	219	NA
1970–2006	1,898	1,144	451	219	NA

Year	Births (000s)	Deaths	Natural Growth	Total Fertility Rate
1990	0.7	0.4	0.3	1.58
1991	2.4	1.85	0.55	1.31
1992	3.4	2.7	0.7	1.33
1993	4.6	3.3	1.3	1.52
1994	5.8	4	1.8	1.65
1995	6.75	4.6	2.15	1.72
1996	7.5	5	2.5	1.70
1997	8.2	5.4	2.8	1.71
1998	8.9	5.9	3	1.71
1999	9.3	6.3	3	1.63
2000	10.1	6.7	3.4	1.62
2001	10.3	6.9	3.4	1.56
2002	10.6	7.2	3.4	1.55
2003	11.1	7.25	3.85	1.60
2004	10.9	7.4	3.5	1.55
2005	11	7.6	3.4	1.55
2006	11.2	7.6	3.6	NA
2007	10.3	7.8	2.5	NA
2008	11.6	7.8	3.8	NA
2009	11.7	7.6	4.1	NA
1990–2009	166.4	113.3	53.1	NA

Impact on Israeli society

When many Jewish people moved from the Soviet Union to Israel in the 1990s, many Israelis were happy at first. They thought each new person made their country stronger. But later, some people became worried. They were concerned that not everyone might share the same beliefs, and they worried about having enough jobs.

Some Israelis also found it hard to welcome the new immigrants because they kept their own languages and customs. This made some people feel they were different. Over time, though, these immigrants helped Israel in many ways. By 2009, many worked in universities, and leaders like Prime Minister Netanyahu said they had become a big part of everyday life in Israel. He called their arrival one of the biggest positive changes for the country.