July 27 (Bloomberg) -- About 650 French Jews emigrated to Israel this week, the biggest such move since 1970, braving the war and adding to their exodus from France.

The departure of 530 Jews from Paris and about 120 from Marseille on July 25 brings the total number leaving France this year to more than 3,500, the highest in 35 years. Last year, 3,005 left France for their ``aliyah,'' or immigration to the Land of Israel, 25 percent more than the year before, according to Jerusalem-based Jewish Agency, a not-for-profit association.

The immigration reflects not only an escape from anti- semitic acts in France, home to both the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe, but is also prompted by a Zionist imperative, Roger Cukierman, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, or CRIF, France's biggest Jewish group, said in a telephone interview.

``They know they are going to a country that's at war,'' Cukierman said. ``It's clear that anti-semitic acts are part of their decision, but the main cause of this emigration is to follow the path of Zionism.''

Israel has encouraged such immigration, struggling to balance out the country's demographics in the face of a rapidly growing Arab population. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport to receive the French arrivals even as Israeli forces fought Hezbollah gunmen in hostilities that have left about 401 Lebanese and 50 Israelis dead.

``Israel has a secret weapon, which is the people of Israel,'' Olmert said as he greeted the new arrivals, according to Arutz Sheva News Service. ``It will not be easy for you.''

`Strategic Move'

The aliyah is part of a strategic move by Israel to attract as many Jews as possible, Cukierman said. ``The more population the state will bring in to face a hostile Arab environment, the better Israel will be protected,'' he said.

Israel's immigration program helps balance its deficit in population growth compared to that of its Arab neighbors. With almost 6.4 million inhabitants and a population growth of 1.18 percent a year, it runs behind Gaza Strip's expansion of 3.71 percent annually or the West bank's 3.06 percent, according to 2006 figures published on the Central Intelligence Agency World's Factbook web site. The two territories together have more than 3.94 million inhabitants, the CIA says.

France has almost 600,000 Jews, or 1 percent of the population. The country's first aliyahs were in the late 19th century and then in several waves, including after World War II.

Anti-Semitism

France ranks third in countries sending people for their aliyah, behind the former Soviet Union, with almost 10,000 every year, and Ethiopia, with children of Falasha, or Jews from the African community. The U.S. ranks fourth.

French emigration has been prompted at least in part by anti-semitic acts in the country, CRIF says. In February, a gang kidnapped, tortured and murdered Ilan Halimi, a young Parisian Jew, sparking outrage across France and leading hundreds of Jews to march in the capital to demand justice.

The French Interior Ministry says there were 504 physical and verbal anti-semitic attacks in 2005, down from 974 in 2004. CRIF says violence against Jews rose again in the first half of 2006, notably after the arrest of Halimi's alleged murderers.

Israel's conflict with the Palestinians has contributed to some attacks from members of France's Muslim or Arab community. Acts committed by racist groups and Neo-Nazis also account for many of the violent attacks, Interior Ministry statistics show.

`Attack on France'

In 2004, there were almost 1,000 anti-semitic acts. In June, a 17-year-old student wearing a skullcap was stabbed. In August, 60 graves were desecrated in the city of Lyon, with Nazi symbols sprayed on tombstones. In November 2003, a wing of the Merkaz Hatorah School for Orthodox Jews near Paris was set on fire, prompting President Jacques Chirac to say ``an attack on a Jew is an attack against France.''

In May this year, members of the now outlawed Tribu Ka group, preaching the superiority of black people, marched in a part of Paris's historical Jewish neighborhood, screaming anti- semitic insults.

The French branch of the Jewish Agency says it gives up to 10,000 euros ($12,640) to a four-person family and up to 3,000 euros for someone leaving by himself to begin a new life in Israel. The money is part of what is called the ``Absorption Basket,'' and is co-funded by the Israeli state and private donors of the Jewish Agency worldwide.

``They see a country that's modern, with a strong economic growth rate, low unemployment, high technology, myriads of possibilities,'' said Amir Lapid 35, who oversees the French aliyahs for the agency.

`Absorption Basket'

The agency has arranged more 22,657 settlements in Israel in 2005 from countries like Romania, Brazil and Australia. It expects 24,000 new immigrants for 2006, the spokesman for the agency, Michael Jankelowitz, said from Tel Aviv. The association helps newcomers find jobs, houses or university grants and gives them pocket money to start their new lives.

The ``Absorption basket'' also includes helps with Hebrew classes, university tuition funding, contacts for jobs and training programs in sectors such as transport, child-care, hotel and catering business, optical care and gardening.

Immigration from France has been edging up since the late 1990s. Aliyah candidates in France have grown by as much as 25 percent a year, from about 1,100 in 1990, the agency said. They haven't been deterred by six years of Intifada and more recently, Israel's biggest military operation since it invaded Lebanon in 1982.

Lebanon-based Shiite group Hezbollah has fired missiles into Haifa, in northern Israel, while Israel has bombed the group's southern Lebanese strongholds. The U.S. and EU classify Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

The French emigration to Israel this week is ``a very strong symbol,'' said Lapid. ``It's important for Israel to see that in war times people still choose to live there. It's important that our enemies see our determination.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 27, 2006 09:57 EDT