‘An escape’: Russian Jews flee to Israel

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

“For me, it’s an escape,” says Natalia Leleka. “My mother was Jewish, so I can get Israeli citizenship. Many Russians envy me because that way I can move to Israel. Many people would like to have this chance.”

In recent years, Russia has been the main country of origin of immigrants to Israel. Last year, 7,700 Russians arrived in Israel, more than a quarter of the total number of new arrivals. This year, those numbers are much higher. Interior Minister Shaked said last week he expected “tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of immigrants” from Russia and Ukraine.

The fact that Israel opens the door to Russian Jews also creates complications. A sensitive group are the Jewish oligarchs of Russia, such as Roman Abramovich, who obtained Israeli citizenship in 2018. Israel is under pressure from the United States to prevent these businessmen in Israel from evading economic sanctions against them. .

Temporary accommodation in occupied territory

But most refugees today are not from Russia, but from Ukraine. More than 7,000 Ukrainian refugees have already experienced reach israel† About 200,000 people live in Ukraine and are allowed to settle in Israel because of their Jewish background.

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

Critics point out that non-Jewish refugees are hardly welcome in Israel. In addition, some Ukrainian travelers at the airport had to pay a deposit of several thousand euros before being allowed to enter Israel. In response to criticism, Israel said it would relax the criteria. All Ukrainian refugees with family in Israel are welcome, the interior minister said last night.

In the meantime, Natalia is counting on the fact that she will not see her homeland again for the time being. “I will miss a lot of things, our summer cottage on the Volga for example,” she says. “I hope to be able to return to Russia one day, even if it’s on vacation. But as long as Putin is in power, Russia has no future. And even if he disappears from the scene, it will still take long before everything went back to how it was.