A major change must be made in the administration of the Law of Return - opinion

It was heartwarming to read Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer’s article “Why Aliyah is more crucial than ever,” because since the COVID pandemic, the message for those seeking to immigrate to Israel has been “Don’t come.”

At a time when an alarming rise of antisemitism was causing Diaspora Jews to consider moving to the Jewish homeland, many articles reported insurmountable challenges to the state’s ability to absorb thousands of people, let alone the estimated 8.25 million Jews who presently reside outside the land.

But, according to Sofer, aliyah is now being encouraged and is taking on a new meaning at a time when war is being waged in yet another attempt to eradicate the Jewish people from their ancestral home. While he recalls different “waves” of aliyah over Israel’s 76-year existence, a deluge might soon be on the horizon due to the growing intolerance of non-Jews who no longer see their Jewish populations as an advantage within their societies.

Between biased media reporting, the Internet, policies that seek to embrace unvetted migrants from uncivilized cultures, and the legitimization of terrorism as a means to attain statehood after the execution of a brutal massacre, many have been convinced that Israel’s right to defend itself is tantamount to waging genocide. Anyone who is Jewish is viewed as an extension of what is believed to be an oppressive and immoral country. Hence the shelf-life of their goodwill has expired.

Sofer is correct when he says that aliyah is more crucial than ever. Despite the toxic anti-Jewish atmosphere, worldwide, which is spreading like wildfire in many places, it is possible for Jews to sell their homes, divest from their countries of birth, and arrive in Israel at a time when they have still have not been forced to flee for their lives. As things stand, such a scenario, reminiscent of the late 30s in Nazi Europe, may not be so far off.

When things really began to heat up in the 1930s, it was a lack of foresight that forced Jews to escape in the middle of the night, carrying on their backs whatever they could. Wanting to believe that things would calm down, they had waited until they could no longer stay, risking all and having to abandon everything. If they were lucky, they made it to a safer shore where they were able to rebuild their lives and fortunes – but that was at a time when antisemitism had not been globally ignited as it has been today.

The law of return 

ACCORDING TO the Law of Return, established in 1950, eligibility to become a citizen is as follows: “Every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh. In 1970, the right of entry and settlement was extended to people with at least one Jewish grandparent and a person who is married to a Jew, whether or not they are considered Jewish under Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law.”

Unfortunately, over the course of the last 20 years, that criteria has not always been honored because the Interior Ministry has sometimes fallen captive to overzealous rabbis/clerks who institute their own personal set of qualifications, failing to recognize Jewish ethnicity, while focusing solely on religious observance. As a result, in some cases, applicants have been suddenly required to provide a letter of approval from a local rabbi, stating that the individual was considered to be an integral part of the Jewish community in some meaningful way. Personal documents such as death or marriage certificates, as well as other valid proof of Jewish ethnicity, were no longer seen as sufficient enough to warrant the coveted citizenship. Those who were not religiously affiliated or active in their Jewish communities became suspect of not adequately fulfilling the criteria.

Let’s face it, the Jews of 2024 are in no way the same as they were in 1950. Since then, many of those who lived outside of Israel have become assimilated, almost to the point of not being distinguishable from non-Jews, yet still remain ethnically Jewish, no matter what, simply because they were born Jewish. In the United States, a sizeable percentage have intermarried. Among those, there are Jewish spouses who have adopted another faith yet remain ethnically Jewish by birth. That can never be changed. Either way, today’s nearly 15 million Jewish people are far from a monolith of beliefs. We must not forget that their ideas, thoughts, and choices are as diverse and assorted as the various cultures that have influenced them over their lifetimes, and, yet, they remain an intrinsic part of their people irrespective of how they interpret matters of faith.

In anticipation of a large influx of Jews from all over the world, a major change must be made in the administration of the Law of Return. First, the perilous times we live in must be acknowledged – and assimilated Jews must not be looked upon as inferior. This is not part of the Jewish spirit and needs to be changed if we are ever to truly be a united people who possess compassion, mercy, and true humanity toward each other.

The Interior Ministry must allow all Jewish people to come home as long as they meet the requirements under the Law of Return. Nothing else should matter!

The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.