Key facts
- In 2025, 742 Britons migrated to Israel, the highest number since the 1980s.
- UK charities like UJIA and Keren Hayesod facilitate migration to Israel.
- Promoted programs include subsidized "birthright" trips, gap year experiences, and voluntary army training.
- Some excursions visit occupied Palestinian territories and illegal Israeli settlements.
- The Marva program allows participants to live on an army base and wear IDF uniforms.
- Bnei Akiva houses gap-year participants in illegal settlements in the West Bank.
In 2025, a significant increase in Britons migrating to Israel has been observed, with 742 individuals making the move, the highest number since the 1980s. This migration is facilitated by UK-registered charities and organizations that advertise programs such as gap-year opportunities, subsidized "birthright" trips, and direct migration assistance.
United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA) is identified as a prominent charity in this network, reporting an income of £12.8 million ($17 million) in 2024. Its mission is to foster a connection between young Jews and Israel through support for various trip and gap year programs. UJIA's historical roots are linked to Keren Hayesod, a century-old global fundraising organization for the Zionist movement and Israel, which maintains strong ties with the Israeli government. Keren Hayesod, also a registered UK charity, assists with Aliyah, the immigration of Jews to Israel, and has facilitated the migration of over three million Jews since its inception in 1920.
Middle East Eye (MEE) found that some programs promoted by UJIA involve excursions into illegally occupied territories. For instance, the Israel Classic Track gap year program, run by Israeli organization Aardvark and advertised on UJIA's website, includes weekly trips to locations in the occupied West Bank. Aardvark's other programs, such as the Tech Track and Culinary Track, also feature visits to Hebron and the Golan Heights, which are occupied Syrian territory. Similarly, the Israeli organization Bina promotes a gap year program that includes visits to Hebron and the Golan Heights.
Furthermore, Aardvark offers the Marva program, a voluntary course in collaboration with the Israeli military and the Jewish Agency for Israel. Participants in this program live on an army base for six to eight weeks, wear Israeli army uniforms, and engage in military-style training. This program is available as part of UJIA-promoted gap year options.
UJIA also supports Bnei Akiva, a large religious Zionist youth movement, through grants totaling £194,000 ($260,000) in 2023 and £214,000 ($287,000) in 2022. Bnei Akiva operates globally and in the UK, offering activities and gap year programs aimed at instilling commitment to the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. Notably, Bnei Akiva's Mechina Olamit gap-year program has housed participants in the illegal settlement of Migdal Oz in the West Bank. While information about this accommodation was altered on the organization's international website after MEE's inquiry, the program's base is still listed as Migdal Oz.