On Christmas Day this year, 40 Jews arrived secretly in Israel having defected from Iran, a long time enemy of the world's only Jewish state.

Each of the arriving Jews received a gift of $10,000 from American evangelical Christians.

According to the Jewish Agency for Israel, this year the number of Iranian Jews moving to Israel tripled to reach 200. The agency is a quasi governmental organisation promoting immigration to Israel.

A spokesman for the agency said the increase was the result of a stipend programme financed by donations to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), a Christian Zionist organisation.

Michael Jankelowitz, a spokesman for the agency, said, "The money is a major consideration [for people coming to Israel]. These people come with the clothes on their back and their suitcase. Iranian money has no value," reports Washington Times.

According to AP, the Jewish immigrants were given a warm welcome by family members, who threw candy at them at the reception hall of Ben Gurion International Airport.

Details of the immigrants journey from Iran were not released by the Jewish Agency and their identities were kept secret out of fear that releasing such information could endanger Jews still living in Iran.