Aliyah (Hebrew: עלייה ʿAliyah "ascent") is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael). It is one of the most basic tenets of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida ("descent"). The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile. Large scale immigration to Eretz Israel and later Israel began in 1882.
Read more about Aliyah: Etymology, Religious, Ideological and Cultural Concept, Historical Background, Zionist Aliyah (1882 On), Statistics