Crowds of people swarmed around information stands. Old people, young couples, toddlers and babes in arms. One person joked: “There must be a Yiddish phrase for ‘Packed like sardines.’” But most were not in the mood for humour. Some even had tears in their eyes as speakers on the stage talked of “coming home”.

This was the scene at an aliyah fair held in north London last month, for British Jews who are contemplating moving to Israel (the Hebrew term “aliyah” literally means “ascending” or “rising”, but for generations it’s been used to denote immigration to Israel). And while this is an annual event, organisers were surprised by just how busy the 2025 gathering was, with 1,100 participants attending, three times the numbers of the year before.