‘An Escape’: Jewish Russians flee to Israel

For Russians of Jewish descent, Israel is a way out. Under Israeli law of 1950, anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent could become an Israeli citizen. It is estimated that more than half a million Russians are eligible for an Israeli passport.

“For me this is an escape route,” says Natalia Lelega. “My mother is Jewish, so I can get Israeli citizenship. A lot of Russians are jealous of me because I can go to Israel. A lot of people want to get that opportunity.”

In recent years, Russia has become the main native country of Israeli immigrants. Last year, 7,700 Russians came to Israel, more than a quarter of the total number of new arrivals. This year, that number is much higher. Interior Minister Sheikh said last week that he expects “tens or hundreds of thousands of migrants” from Russia and Ukraine.

The fact that Israel is opening the door to Jewish Russians also creates problems. An important group is the Jewish oligarchy in Russia, such as Roman Abramovich, who became an Israeli citizen in 2018. The United States has been pressuring Israel to prevent such traders in Israel from avoiding sanctions against them.

Temporary houses in the occupied territory

But at present most of the refugees do not come from Russia, but from Ukraine. More than 7,000 Ukrainian refugees have already arrived in Israel in recent weeks. About 200,000 people live in Ukraine and they are allowed to settle in Israel because of their Jewish descent.

Prime Minister Naphtali Bennett said he would like to welcome them “with an open door and an open heart.” The World Zionist Organization has already announced that at least 1,000 temporary houses will be built for the group, some of them in occupied Palestinian territory.

Critics point out that non-Jewish refugees are not welcome in Israel. Also, some Ukrainian passengers at the airport had to pay a deposit of thousands of euros before entering Israel. In response to this criticism, Israel has stated that it will ease the conditions. The Interior Minister said last night that all Ukrainian refugees in Israel are welcome with family.

Meanwhile, Natalia thinks she can never see her homeland again for the time being. “I’m going to miss a lot of things, for example our summer cottage in the Volga,” he says. “Even though he is on vacation, I hope he can go back to Russia one day. But Russia has no future as long as Putin is in power.