Aliyah form mentioning mental illness sees new change

The clause requiring that an oleh (immigrant) to Israel report on their mental health when filing a document requesting to make aliyah has changed, Religious Zionist MK Michal Woldiger announced on Tuesday.

The previous form, last updated in 2014, which immigrants were required to complete in order to change their status from tourist to immigrant, included a clause mentioning whether the immigrant suffered from a mental illness.

The new form simply requires the immigrant to declare, “I am not sick with a disease that may endanger public health,” with no mention of mental illness.

The change in the form was achieved in cooperation with the ITIM: Resources and Advocacy for Jewish Life organization and lawyer Nechama Ovadia.

A change in a 'discriminatory policy'

Woldiger said, “Since entering the Knesset, for more than three years, I have been working to change the policy that discriminates against those who immigrate to Israel, Jews who want to realize their Zionism, but unfortunately face mental difficulties.”

“When filling out the immigration application, they had to disclose their past or present dealings with mental issues, or they were flagged by the Jewish Agency and transferred to a different and designated route full of obstacles that prevented many of them, in complete violation of the Law of Return, from immigrating to Israel,” she added.

Chairman and founder of ITIM, Rabbi Dr. Shaul Farber, addressed the change, stating, "I was first exposed to this issue following an application that reached our assistance center from an immigrant who asked to immigrate and was refused after she reported that she had dealt with mental difficulties in the past.”

“I am happy that we could help her and other applicants who came up with the same issue. This is a critical correction for a large public in the people of Israel,” he further noted.

Ovadia also spoke of the new form and stated, “we will continue to work to ensure that all those mentally challenged receive equal treatment to every other immigrant, and to ensure the implementation of the new procedure that clarifies that mentally challenged is not a proviso to the Law of Return."