(Jewish Group) Report finds a growing exodus of Jews from Russia and Ukraine

A new report by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research suggests that migration of Jews from both Russia and Ukraine to Israel may be reaching “exodus” levels.

The report, which draws on data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, finds that if trends continue, both Russia and Ukraine could lose a majority of their Jewish populations in the years ahead.

The reasons for the exodus are obvious. While an upsurge of Ukrainian Jews to Israel began in 2014 when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in Eastern Ukraine, the Russian military assault on Ukraine, which began in February 2022, is the major reason for the most recent mass migration.

Jews in both Ukraine and Russia have sought to escape the fighting and possibly avoid being drafted into the army. Nearly 8 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded in neighboring countries and across Europe, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Israel, however, has absorbed a far larger number of Russian Jews since the start of the war.

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