While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government's plans to drastically curtail the Supreme Court's powers have sent hundreds of thousands to the streets, other Israelis warn of an even greater threat: the government's efforts to redefine the "Jew."
The report quoted community leaders as explaining that the current government's "religiously hardline" efforts to tighten Israel's immigration law will make it difficult for many Russian-speaking Jews to immigrate to Israel.
The report noted that religious Zionist MP Simsha Rothman, a senior figure in the new government, stressed the need to amend basic legislation, which since 1950 has determined eligibility for Israeli citizenship.
Cancellation of the grandfather requirement
The amendment to the law of return was a repeated demand by the partners of the current government coalition. They are specifically interested in repealing the 1970 amendment that allows a person with at least one Jewish grandfather to obtain Israeli citizenship, this is the so-called grandfather clause.
Jewish immigrants from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine have often used the clause since the Soviet Union then classified its citizens as Jewish if the father was Jewish — a definition also accepted by many Reformed and conservative communities in North America — however, people are seen as legitimate Jews if the mother is Jewish. The government's desire to change the definition to Jewish law is therefore of great concern to immigrants from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
A lot of strangers
The report quoted Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef as saying in 2020, "Tens of thousands of non-Jews come to Israel from the countries of the former Soviet Union. There are many, many strangers here, some of them communists, anti-religious or religious haters. They are not Jews at all. They vote for parties that incite Haredim (fundamentalists) and religion, Israel brings them so that too many Haredi are not elected when elections are held."
Alex Reif, founder of the 100 Million Lobby Association, which represents the interests of 1.5 million Russian-speakers in Israel, warns that changing the Law of Return would have serious consequences for the 400,<> Russian-speaking Israeli citizens who, by Jewish law, are not considered Jews, adding that for them it is like saying, "You don't belong here. You are unwanted here. The item that brought you here has been cancelled. It was a temporary mistake."
While Netanyahu's government has not yet changed this provision, it already appears to make it difficult for Russian-speaking Jews to emigrate. Last month, for example, the government canceled the rapid migration process for migrants from Russia and Belarus, which will force migrants from these countries to spend months in Israel without legal status, pending the approval of their applications.