A source from a major Jewish organization said Saturday night: “There are many reasons to be concerned about the Jews of Russia and citizens in general.”
The source referred to the insurgency within the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization from Russia that had close ties to the Russian government during President Vladimir Putin’s tenure.
Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer, chairman of the Committee on Immigration, Reception and Diaspora Affairs, said he would convene the committee to discuss immigration from Russia to Israel amid the recent conflict.
“The government needs to recalculate its course on immigration from Russia and not miss the opportunity for a large wave of immigration,” Forer said in a statement on Saturday, adding that the discussion is related to the government’s preparation for the crisis “and its impact on the crisis” will address the Jewish community and immigration to Israel.”
Forer mentioned that the State Department estimates that there are currently between 60,000 and 70,000 Israeli citizens in Russia and over 500,000 Jews are eligible for the Law of Return.
Most, if not all, of the Israeli citizens currently in Russia are dual citizens, and thus Israel’s attitude towards them is expected to be the same. It is assumed that most Israelis would not go to Russia as tourists or for work, but rather as Israeli citizens living in Russia.
Forer said, “After many months of realizing that the government’s policy of stopping aid to immigrants from Russia and restricting the rapid immigration procedure, we can understand that this was disconnected from reality.” It seems that reality crumbles in the face of the Israeli government.
A view shows a sign at the entrance of a Russian branch of the Jewish Agency for Israel in Moscow, Russia, July 21, 2022. (Credit: Portal/Evgenia Novozhenina)
Emergency immigration from Russia
“While the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration has decided to cut the budget for immigration from Russia and halt the emergency immigration procedure, affecting the reception of immigrants from there, we are now witnessing a significant deterioration in the situation that requires government action. ” fast.”
It is unclear whether Israel or the Jewish Agency will be able to conduct an express aliyah operation from Russia at this point. First, Russian Jews living in Israel declared on Saturday that there will be no seats on EL AL flights from Moscow to Tel Aviv in the near future. In addition, it is unclear whether the borders will be open and the security situation is not stable.
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, Moscow’s former chief rabbi, told the Jerusalem Post on Saturday that he was “concerned about the situation in Russia” and prayed “for the safety of the Jewish community and Russian citizens.”
Another problem that many Russian speakers have recognized is that there are many anti-Semitic posts online about Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group mercenary company, being the son of a Jew. Prigozhin’s father, who died when he was an infant, was Jewish, as was his stepfather, who was also Jewish.