ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to provide a general background to the demographic and sociological analyses of immigration to Israel. It reviews several aspects of immigration to Israel, in the context of a broader overview of modern and contemporary. Migrations of Jews represent a specific case of socio demographic change among a minority, or subpopulation. Jewish migrations should be assessed in relation to the changing geographical distribution of the world Jewish population, which they crucially affect, and by which they are much affected. The graphical evidence of continuous ups and downs in the volume of Jewish migrations effectively demonstrates the recurrence of crises affecting the position of Jewish communities in different parts of the world, and the consequent need for prompt relocation. One important factor in shaping the frequency of international migration was the availability of alternative destinations. Global Jewish international migration trends are better understood in the framework of an integrated system of competing areas of origin and destination.
