Shivat Zion (organisation)
שיבת ציון | |
| Founder | Shraga Evers |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit organisation |
| Headquarters | Jerusalem |
| Services | Assisting Jewish emigration to Israel |
Chief executive officer | Shraga Evers |
| Website | shivat-zion |
Shivat Zion (Hebrew: שיבת ציון) is an Israeli non-profit organisation founded in 2002 that provides assistance to primarily non-English speaking, European Jews who wish to emigrate to Israel, (make aliyah). Its main objective is to ease the process of integration into Israeli life both beforehand, while planning and afterwards, once people and families are already in Israel. [1]
History
Shivat Zion was founded by Shraga Evers, a Dutch-born Israeli, and began operations in February 2022. Evers said that Shivat Zion was established to address a lack of specialised support for prospective immigrants to Israel who do not speak English from Western Europe and Latin America. Its services were intended to complement those provided by the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and other aliyah organisations.[2][1] In July 2025, Shivat Zion announced an expansion of its immigrant support services in the United Kingdom. Aliyah from the UK has almost doubled since 2023 in large part due to the increase in antisemitism in the UK.[3][4][5][6]
Controversy
In April 2026, Declassified UK reported that Shivat Zion was offering assistance to British Jews considering moving to Efrat, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion area of the West Bank. The report also stated that an organisation representative had discussed the possibility of donations benefiting from UK tax subsidies.[7]
In the House of Commons, Clive Lewis asked the government whether sanctions should be imposed on charity officials in light of the Declassified UK reporting. The Foreign Office declined to speculate on potential sanctions.[8]
Shivat Zion subsequently appeared at a fair in London supporting British Jewish emigration to Israel, organised by the World Zionist Organization in May 2026. Over 1200 people attended the fair.[9][10]
Legal status
Shivat Zion is a non-profit organisation that works in collaboration with NGOs, the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah & Integration, the Jewish Agency, and various municipalities in Israel. It is an initiative of the Association for the Advancement of Giving and Social Progress in Israel (R.A.).[2]
See also
References
- 1 2 Adler, Rivkah Lambert (9 June 2023). "Shivat Zion: Helping Israel's Non-English Speaking Olim". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 "About Shivat Zion". Shivat Zion. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Shivat Zion Launches as the UK's Only Free Aliyah Support Charity". Shivat Zion. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ Sasha (21 January 2026). "UK aliyah surges 70% since 2023". Shivat Zion. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
- ↑ Rocker, Simon (20 April 2026). "UK aliyah in 2025 highest in 40 years – but 'no exodus' says JPR". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
- ↑ "Time to leave the UK? Patterns of Jewish migration to Israel post-October 7 | JPR". www.jpr.org.uk. 20 April 2026. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
- ↑ Williams, Martin (13 April 2026). "Exposed: Israeli operation to help Brits move to West Bank". Declassified UK. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Shivat Zion". UK Parliament. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ Williams, Martin (11 May 2026). "Israeli settler group returns to London despite calls for sanctions". Declassified UK. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ Kolirin, Lianne (13 May 2026). "Record high number of British Jews attend aliyah fair as antisemitism roils country". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 31 August 2026.