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.
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.
But in regards to immigration, the proper solution should be at the very least to keep the existing Law of Return as it is. (I'd honestly prefer to expand it, but I'm willing to accept the status quo just so long as the Israeli right-wing will also agree to this.) Maybe add a 2-3 year Israeli residence requirement before one would actually acquire Israeli citizenship. Not allowing Grandchild Clause immigrants to immigrate to Israel would simply condemn them and their descendants to permanently and irreversible assimilation in the Diaspora. I mean real assimilation, not the halakhic kind, specifically the kind where they and their descendants completely stop identifying as Jewish and fully, permanently integrate into gentile society. Would that actually be in the best interests of the Jewish people--to lose these descendants of Jews forever?
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.
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!
I agree that one should only be able to obtain an Israeli passport after living in Israel for a year (though that issue has already been solved, to my knowledge), but as for why exactly some immigrants in Israel leave soon afterwards, these two articles can help shed some light on this:
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.
Yes, worth noting that among halakhic Jews from the USSR, many of the ones who had Israeli exit visas actually immigrated to the US instead when they had the opportunity to do so, specifically until late 1989. Many of the halakhic Jews who moved to Israel after 1989 would have also likely preferred to immigrate to the US instead but simply didn't have the opportunity to do this (with a few, like my own parents, being an exception to the general rule here--being able to finally move to the US in 2001 together with us after spending almost a decade in Israel).
All of the accusations that Israeli right-wingers direct against Grandchild Clause immigrants could just as easily be employed against halakhic Jews and children of halakhic Jews: Wanting to immigrate to Israel for the money, lacking a significant connection to Judaism, et cetera. (Indeed, if anything, people with a paternal Jewish grandfather might be more Jewishly aware than people with a Jewish grandmother because people with a paternal Jewish grandfather are probably much more likely to be on the receiving end of anti-Semitism due to their likely Jewish last name, whereas many people with Jewish grandmothers in the former USSR have presumably lived as total gentiles for the last couple of generations).
Repealing the Grandchild Clause is going to be a huge spit in the face to all of those Jewish and Jewish-descended people, including myself, who do not subscribe to a halakhic definition of Jewishness and who have integrated very well in Israel back when we lived there. Somehow when it comes to fighting Hamas in Gaza, Israel needs all of the manpower that it can get, including Grandchild Clause immigrants--OK, but then don't spit in their face after the war by pushing for the repeal of this clause!
Honestly, I view it as being much more rational to allow someone with one or two Jewish grandfathers (so, 25% or 50% Jewish by ancestry, if their grandfather(s) themselves were fully Jewish by ancestry) to immigrate to Israel than to allow someone who is the product of five generations of intermarriage but is also halakhically Jewish, such as the former Russian nationalist-turned open borders advocate Anatoly Karlin (just 3% Jewish by ancestry), or his 1% future Jewish children (who will be the products of six generations of intermarriage) to immigrate to Israel.
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.
The most pragmatic solution to this general dispute has been proposed here:
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/solving-the-conversion-crisis/
But in regards to immigration, the proper solution should be at the very least to keep the existing Law of Return as it is. (I'd honestly prefer to expand it, but I'm willing to accept the status quo just so long as the Israeli right-wing will also agree to this.) Maybe add a 2-3 year Israeli residence requirement before one would actually acquire Israeli citizenship. Not allowing Grandchild Clause immigrants to immigrate to Israel would simply condemn them and their descendants to permanently and irreversible assimilation in the Diaspora. I mean real assimilation, not the halakhic kind, specifically the kind where they and their descendants completely stop identifying as Jewish and fully, permanently integrate into gentile society. Would that actually be in the best interests of the Jewish people--to lose these descendants of Jews forever?
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.
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!
I agree that one should only be able to obtain an Israeli passport after living in Israel for a year (though that issue has already been solved, to my knowledge), but as for why exactly some immigrants in Israel leave soon afterwards, these two articles can help shed some light on this:
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-741551
https://www.jpost.com/aliyah/article-707467
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.
Yes, worth noting that among halakhic Jews from the USSR, many of the ones who had Israeli exit visas actually immigrated to the US instead when they had the opportunity to do so, specifically until late 1989. Many of the halakhic Jews who moved to Israel after 1989 would have also likely preferred to immigrate to the US instead but simply didn't have the opportunity to do this (with a few, like my own parents, being an exception to the general rule here--being able to finally move to the US in 2001 together with us after spending almost a decade in Israel).
All of the accusations that Israeli right-wingers direct against Grandchild Clause immigrants could just as easily be employed against halakhic Jews and children of halakhic Jews: Wanting to immigrate to Israel for the money, lacking a significant connection to Judaism, et cetera. (Indeed, if anything, people with a paternal Jewish grandfather might be more Jewishly aware than people with a Jewish grandmother because people with a paternal Jewish grandfather are probably much more likely to be on the receiving end of anti-Semitism due to their likely Jewish last name, whereas many people with Jewish grandmothers in the former USSR have presumably lived as total gentiles for the last couple of generations).
Repealing the Grandchild Clause is going to be a huge spit in the face to all of those Jewish and Jewish-descended people, including myself, who do not subscribe to a halakhic definition of Jewishness and who have integrated very well in Israel back when we lived there. Somehow when it comes to fighting Hamas in Gaza, Israel needs all of the manpower that it can get, including Grandchild Clause immigrants--OK, but then don't spit in their face after the war by pushing for the repeal of this clause!
Honestly, I view it as being much more rational to allow someone with one or two Jewish grandfathers (so, 25% or 50% Jewish by ancestry, if their grandfather(s) themselves were fully Jewish by ancestry) to immigrate to Israel than to allow someone who is the product of five generations of intermarriage but is also halakhically Jewish, such as the former Russian nationalist-turned open borders advocate Anatoly Karlin (just 3% Jewish by ancestry), or his 1% future Jewish children (who will be the products of six generations of intermarriage) to immigrate to Israel.