Father Trevor, mother Dalit and their daughter Ashira landed Thursday morning at Ben Gurion Airport, where they received Israeli identity cards upon arrival. Their son, Levi Zaks, preceded them. He has already immigrated to Israel and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces.
Speaking after landing, the family referred to the deadly Hanukkah attack in Sydney in which 15 people were killed. “We were shocked by the attack that targeted the Jewish community,” they said. “It was a very sad way to leave Sydney, but our plans to immigrate began a long time ago. It is wonderful to finally be home in the land of Israel.”
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer welcomed the family, calling their decision encouraging. “The choice of the Zaks family to immigrate to Israel, especially with their son serving in the IDF, is heartening,” he said. “We are working to bring Australian Jewry to Israel and have already taken, and will continue to take, significant steps to make that happen.”
The Zaks family joins nearly 22,000 immigrants who arrived in Israel over the past 12 months. By comparison, Central Bureau of Statistics data show that 31,068 immigrants arrived in 2024, 46,069 in 2023 and 74,807 in 2022, most from Russia and Ukraine amid the war between the two countries.
Officials at the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration said they are implementing a range of new programs aimed at encouraging additional immigration, with the goal of increasing the number of new arrivals in 2026.