Some 38,000 olim (immigrants) will celebrate their first Yom Ha’atzmaut as Israeli citizens this year, according to figures released by The Jewish Agency for Israel.

This marks a two-decade record in new immigrants making Aliyah (immigration to Israel), most of whom came due to the war in Ukraine where The Jewish Agency, in cooperation with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), helped rescue thousands of Jewish refugees caught in the middle of war. Upon arrival in Israel, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration housed the olim in hotels throughout the country. Meanwhile, many more olim from other corners of the globe flocked to Israel in the shadow of the Covid-19 crisis which wreaked havoc around the world.

Since last year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut, about half of the immigrants arrived from Ukraine and Russia, 4,000 came from the United States, 3,700 from France, 1,000 from Belarus, 1,000 from Argentina, 700 from Great Britain, 600 from South Africa, 500 from Brazil, 400 from Canada, and other olim made Aliyah from Australia, Germany, Belgium, Chile, and Italy, among other countries.

In addition, more olim from Ethiopia arrived on Operation Tzur Israel, which is due to resume soon as per an agreement between The Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration.

At Jewish Agency-operated absorption centers across the country, young families are taking part in festive activities to celebrate the holiday, like creating their own Israeli flag, touring heritage sites and listening to lectures about the establishment of the state.

As such, Acting Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel and World Zionist Organization Chairman, Yaakov Hagoel, visited dozens of new immigrants in The Jewish Agency’s Ulpan Etzion in Jerusalem. The landmark ulpan for studying Hebrew was established in 1949 and houses hundreds of new immigrants every year for several months.

“Every oleh that comes to Israel contributes to the country and strengthens its character,” Hagoel said. “The Jewish Agency is currently working tirelessly to rescue Ukrainian Jews and bring them to Israel and will continue its rescue operations from anywhere in the world as part of its mission to help thousands of Jews outside of Israel realize their Zionist dream.”