Why Israel Wants Europe's Jews (Hint: Not Just to Shield Them From Terrorists)
European emigres would help address Israel's home-grown demographic challenges—if they remained there
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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The prime minister of Israel is throwing open his country's doors to Europe's 1.1 million Jews, following a series of deadly attacks on Jewish targets on the Continent. "We are preparing and calling for the absorption of mass immigration from Europe," Benjamin Netanyahu said after the most recent killings, at a Copenhagen synagogue on Feb. 15.
Providing a safe haven to Jews has always been central to Israel's identity. Aliyah, the Hebrew term for Jewish immigration to the Promised Land, is a basic tenet of Zionism. But Israel has other reasons for wanting to attract more Jewish immigrants from Europe.