Aliyah (, ;
aliyah, "ascent") is the immigration of
Jews from the
diaspora to the
Land of Israel (
Eretz Israel in Hebrew). Also defined as "the act of going up"—that is, towards
Jerusalem—"making Aliyah" by moving to the Land of Israel is one of the most basic tenets of
Zionism. The opposite action,
emigration from the Land of Israel, is referred to in Hebrew as
yerida ("descent"). The State of Israel's
Law of Return gives Jews and their descendants automatic rights regarding residency and
Israeli citizenship.