The Battle for Israel's Jewish Soul: Changing the Law of Return to Exclude Grandchildren
www.stateoftelaviv.com
PM Netanyahu’s government is focused on slashing immigration from Russia and Ukraine, just when it is most needed. Ksenia Svetlova explains why his religious coalition partners want to redefine “Who is a Jew”, limiting those eligible to immigrate under the Law of Return, and shy.
Agree. And I, too, have been disadvantaged by certain changes in rules intended to address such abuses. But the issues must be managed with skill. We should try to avoid using tanks to crush mosquitoes.
Indeed, the Orthodox position is complicated. As is the position of new immigrants. What is problematic is the manner in which the ultra Orthodox propose to address such a sensitive topic. With a sledgehammer. The Israeli and Jewish reality is that there are consequences from thousands of years of Diaspora. They should be addressed with thoughtfulness, compassion and nuance.
Once you know the true history of Israel you will know that The Soul of Israel, that is, The Twelve Tribes can only be found amongst the White Caucasian peoples of Britain, her Commonwealth, The USA and the Western and North Western Nations of Europe.
This is something that Jews themselves partly admit: "Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an Ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an 'Israelite' or a 'Hebrew'. The first Hebrews may not have been Jews at all..."
Why do a significant portion of the new immigrants leave Israel soon after arriving in the country?Analysis of CBS data by IDI shows that 26% of Jewish immigrants from the FSU leave Israeli within a year of arrival and 46% within two years. Among non-Jewish FSU immigrants 24% leave within a year and 41% withing two years. This is significantly higher than immigrants from other countries where 2% of Jewish immigrants leave Israel within a year and 8% within two years, and among non-Jewish immigrants 8% leave within a year and 21% within two. There was also a doubling of immigration to Israel from 2017 after the “Passport Law” was passed, *granting a passport (as well as immigrant benefits and healthcare) immediately upon receiving citizenship*, as opposed to the previous law which only allowed this after an immigrant lived in Israel for a year and could prove residency. So basically this is where the paper trail leads to, a cynical taking advantage of the Law of Return ~ this has got to be stopped!
The Orthodox position on this is complicated and not self-contradictory: Jews (born of Jewish mother or convert) should be encouraged to immigrate, non Jews should not be.
Judaism as a rule does not proselytize, and that generally includes the non-Jewish descendants of Jews (although they are generally given an easier time if they show interest in converting, whereas other converts are more properly “vetted” to ensure that they are converting out of genuine belief rather than for personal or political gain. If this sounds stringent, it’s worth remembering that Judaism is a religion).
As Israel becomes more prosperous, it is more attractive a location for immigration and even the halachic Jews from the former USSR are generally interested in improving their standard of living rather than joining the Zionist project. It makes sense to reconsider immigration policy in a scenario where being Jewish comes with material gain.
I find it sad to see proud American Jewish figures like Abe Foxman so upset about this proposal. I guess either his children or the children of his friends, must be intermarried, with grandchildren less connected to their heritage than he. In such case, changing the law is recognizing the sad reality that intermarriage at the very least waters down the connection - if not membership - of one’s children to the Jewish people. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Agree. And I, too, have been disadvantaged by certain changes in rules intended to address such abuses. But the issues must be managed with skill. We should try to avoid using tanks to crush mosquitoes.
Indeed, the Orthodox position is complicated. As is the position of new immigrants. What is problematic is the manner in which the ultra Orthodox propose to address such a sensitive topic. With a sledgehammer. The Israeli and Jewish reality is that there are consequences from thousands of years of Diaspora. They should be addressed with thoughtfulness, compassion and nuance.
Once you know the true history of Israel you will know that The Soul of Israel, that is, The Twelve Tribes can only be found amongst the White Caucasian peoples of Britain, her Commonwealth, The USA and the Western and North Western Nations of Europe.
This is something that Jews themselves partly admit: "Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an Ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an 'Israelite' or a 'Hebrew'. The first Hebrews may not have been Jews at all..."
-- 1980 Jewish Almanac, p. 3.
The 'Lost' Tribes of Israel:
https://archive.org/details/british-israel-the-true-israelites-are-white-europeans
Why do a significant portion of the new immigrants leave Israel soon after arriving in the country?Analysis of CBS data by IDI shows that 26% of Jewish immigrants from the FSU leave Israeli within a year of arrival and 46% within two years. Among non-Jewish FSU immigrants 24% leave within a year and 41% withing two years. This is significantly higher than immigrants from other countries where 2% of Jewish immigrants leave Israel within a year and 8% within two years, and among non-Jewish immigrants 8% leave within a year and 21% within two. There was also a doubling of immigration to Israel from 2017 after the “Passport Law” was passed, *granting a passport (as well as immigrant benefits and healthcare) immediately upon receiving citizenship*, as opposed to the previous law which only allowed this after an immigrant lived in Israel for a year and could prove residency. So basically this is where the paper trail leads to, a cynical taking advantage of the Law of Return ~ this has got to be stopped!
The Orthodox position on this is complicated and not self-contradictory: Jews (born of Jewish mother or convert) should be encouraged to immigrate, non Jews should not be.
Judaism as a rule does not proselytize, and that generally includes the non-Jewish descendants of Jews (although they are generally given an easier time if they show interest in converting, whereas other converts are more properly “vetted” to ensure that they are converting out of genuine belief rather than for personal or political gain. If this sounds stringent, it’s worth remembering that Judaism is a religion).
As Israel becomes more prosperous, it is more attractive a location for immigration and even the halachic Jews from the former USSR are generally interested in improving their standard of living rather than joining the Zionist project. It makes sense to reconsider immigration policy in a scenario where being Jewish comes with material gain.
I find it sad to see proud American Jewish figures like Abe Foxman so upset about this proposal. I guess either his children or the children of his friends, must be intermarried, with grandchildren less connected to their heritage than he. In such case, changing the law is recognizing the sad reality that intermarriage at the very least waters down the connection - if not membership - of one’s children to the Jewish people. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.