From the beginning of World War I, until the middle of 1919, no Jewish immigrants arrived in Palestine. With the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in February, 1917, Zionist activities were able to flourish openly in Russia for a brief period. Thousands flocked to join Hechalutz in Russia, as well as in other Eastern European countries.

In 1919, 2000 Eastern European Jewish immigrants arrived in Palestine. With the establishment of the British mandate, the gates of Palestine were officially open for Jewish immigration. Between 1920 and 1923, approximately 8,000 Jews annually took advantage of this opportunity. During this period, which became known as the Third Aliyah, the Jewish population of Palestine grew from about 56,000 to over 90,000. Of those who were part of Third Aliyah 45% were from Russia, 31% from Poland, 5% from Romania and 3% from Lithuania.