Immigrant Absorption

Thousands of new immigrants, from the four corners of the world, have chosen to build their lives in Ariel and have been successfully integrated into the community. Today, Ariel is the 3rd "most absorbing" city in Israel.
 
During the 1990's with the collapse of the Soviet Union, more than a million immigrants arrived in Israel. The city of Ariel was one of the first places to welcome and assist this massive influx of new immigrants. At the beginning, hundreds of the immigrants were housed in the caravans situated by the Academic center. Later on, these families moved and settled in Ariel’s different neighborhoods.
 
As a result of this influx, the city population doubled in size and reached 16,000 with just over 40% of the residents new immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Many special programs and projects, from Hebrew Ulpan classes to rent controlled housing for senior citizens, were established to let the newcomers know that they were wanted and welcome in Ariel.
Since 2007 Ariel has become a new destination for English speaking aliyah from North America, South Africa and England, with more and more families joining this young growing community.