(ISRAEL) — Trevor, Dalit, and Ashira Sachs flew into Israel from Sydney on January 1, 2026, becoming the first new immigrants to arrive for the year at Ben Gurion Airport.
The Australian Jews received their Israeli identity cards at 6:08 a.m. on January 1, marking a closely watched start to 2026 immigration as Israel seeks more arrivals from Western countries.
Political and official reactions
“The Sachs family’s choice to immigrate to Israel, especially when their son is serving in the IDF, is gratifying and encouraging. We are working for the aliyah of Australian Jews to Israel and have already taken and will continue to take significant steps to that end,” said Ofir Sofer, Minister of Immigration and Absorption, in a statement dated January 1, 2026.
A ministry spokesperson described the arrival as part of a broader shift, saying: “The changing composition of new immigrants shows how Israel continues to attract Jews from around the world.”
“The Sachs family’s choice to immigrate to Israel, especially when their son is serving in the IDF, is gratifying and encouraging.” — Ofir Sofer, Minister of Immigration and Absorption
Israel’s government has paired security and community arguments with economic measures to encourage aliyah. Officials have framed early arrivals like the Sachs family as both a political message and a family milestone.
Context and reasons for the move
- The Sachs family’s move from Sydney followed the December 14, 2025 terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, Sydney, described as ISIS-inspired.
- The shooting left 15 people dead, and the family was reportedly close to one of the victims.
- Despite the pain of leaving Sydney after the attack, the family described their arrival as “coming home.” Their son, Levi, had already immigrated to Israel and is a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Israeli and Australian officials attribute some of the migration shift to a “dim and grim” atmosphere for Jews in Australia and other Western nations after the Bondi attack and amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Immigration trends and statistics
Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration has pointed to changing patterns in who is arriving:
| Year | Total movers to Israel | Notable change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | (baseline year) — high total tied to Russian/Ukrainian arrivals | — |
| 2025 | ~21,900 people moved to Israel | Roughly one-third of the 2024 total; linked to a 50% drop in Russian and Ukrainian arrivals |
Other shifts in 2025:
– North American aliyah increased by 13%.
– French immigration jumped by 45%.
The ministry presented these patterns as evidence that the composition of immigrants is changing, with Western-country arrivals rising as Eastern arrivals fell.
Economic incentives for 2026 arrivals
To encourage immigrants arriving in 2026, Israel launched a 0 percent income tax rate for immigrants arriving in 2026 on their foreign-sourced earnings.
- This incentive introduces a financial calculation for families considering aliyah.
- It affects how immigrants might manage assets and income tied to prior residences, with implications for professionals and retirees.
The Sachs family’s early 2026 arrival at Ben Gurion is used to illustrate absorption policy and the idea of a ‘changing composition’ of immigrants from around the world.
Strategic objectives: the “11th Million”
The government is pursuing a longer-term target called the “11th Million”, a strategic goal to bring one million Jews to the country over the next decade. The initiative focuses on Western communities where security concerns have increased, and uses early arrivals — like the Sachs family — as indicators of where future waves may originate.
Domestic response in Australia
Inside Australia, the Bondi attack has prompted debate about the future of Australian Jewry:
– Community leaders have called for a Royal Commission into the Bondi Beach massacre.
– Questions have been raised about whether national security measures adequately protect the Jewish community.
The family’s decision to emigrate sits within that larger public discussion and reflects broader concerns about safety and belonging.
International policy environment shaping migration decisions
Governments elsewhere have adjusted immigration screening and travel-related policies that touch the Jewish diaspora in different ways.
- A USCIS memo dated January 2, 2026, issued after an expansion of travel restrictions effective January 1, 2026, stated the U.S. agency’s security rationale in broad terms:
“USCIS remains dedicated to ensuring aliens from high-risk countries of concern who have entered the United States do not pose risks to national security or public safety. To faithfully uphold United States immigration law, the flow of aliens from countries with high overstay rates, significant fraud, or both must stop.”
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and USCIS framed immigration adjudications around antisemitism in a policy dated April 9, 2025, which considers antisemitic activity on social media and physical harassment as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, said: “There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here.”
While these U.S. measures are not about immigration to Israel, they contribute to a wider policy environment shaping travel and immigration decisions among Jewish communities in 2026, as governments expand security-based screening and restrictions.
Symbolism and absorption policy
Israel’s immigration authorities have emphasized symbolism as part of absorption policy:
– The ministry’s spokesperson used the phrase “changing composition” of immigrants to reinforce that Israel continues to draw Jews “from around the world.”
– Officials are seeking to turn international pressures and security concerns into a sustained immigration flow from Western communities.
For the Sachs family, the decision combined personal security fears in Sydney with a direct family link to military service through their son Levi — a point highlighted by the minister.
Impact and significance
- The Bondi Beach attack remains central to the narrative officials and community leaders are telling about recent migration.
- Israel’s 0 percent tax incentive and the “11th Million” campaign create both short-term and long-term levers to persuade families who might otherwise remain in cities like Sydney to take irreversible legal steps toward life in Israel.
- The early-morning issuance of Israeli identity cards to the Sachs family at 6:08 a.m. on January 1 provided a concrete, symbolic moment for that strategy, placing Australian Jews at the center of Israel’s first immigration moment of the new year and using Ben Gurion Airport as both a familial and political stage.
The arrival of the Sachs family from Australia marks the beginning of a strategic shift in Israeli immigration for 2026. Following security concerns in Western nations and a decline in Eastern European arrivals, Israel is implementing aggressive economic incentives, including tax exemptions on foreign income. This movement is part of a broader ’11th Million’ initiative to strengthen the nation’s population through Western aliyah.
