March Update and Analysis

Stepping on Holy Ground - Unprecedented Attempt to Decimate the Law of Return

The Law of Return, which allows persons of direct Jewish descent to immigrate to Israel is holy ground which should not be trampled on lightly. This law, which was legislated by the Zionist fathers of our state not only serves the demographic interests of the State of Israel, it facilitates the fulfillment of many biblical prophecies pointing to the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

In an apparent effort to advance the narrow agenda of the Orthodox Jewish community in Israel, which makes up approximately twenty percent of the population, the outgoing Minister of Interior, Meir Sheetrit appointed last Sunday a special committee to revise or even abolish the Law of Return. In Sheetrit's words, this law has been abused by “people that have nothing to do with Judaism” (Nurit Felter http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3676035,00.html).

Felter, from Ynet News, conveniently lumps the alleged one million non-Jewish illegal immigrants living in Israel together with immigrating decedents of Jews in order to create a smoke-screen, as if the Law of Return facilitates illegal immigration.

The Law of Return nobly declares that Israel constitutes a home, not only for its current inhabitants, but also for all members of the Jewish people everywhere — be they living in poverty and fear of persecution or in affluence and safety. Originally, the Law of Return was restricted solely to persons born to a Jewish mother. However, a 1970 amendment added that, "The rights of a Jew under this Law and the rights of an immigrant under the Nationality Law... are also vested in a child and a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew and the spouse of a grandchild of a Jew". The reason for this amendment was to provide domicile and citizenship in Israel to anyone who would have been persecuted under the Nazi Nuremberg Laws. As the Nuremberg Laws did not use a halakhic definition in their definition of who is a Jew, the Law of Return’s definition for citizenship eligibility is not halakhic, either. The Law of Return provides sanctuary to anyone Jewish enough to be sent to the Nazi gas chambers and does not require that the person be halakhicly Jewish for the purposes of laws governing personal status.

In the eerie light of growing Anti-Semitism worldwide and potential olim yearning for their historical homeland, it is outrageous that outgoing Minister Sheetrit finds it appropriate to call for a special committee, headed by Orthodox Professor Yaakov Ne'eman to discuss possible amendment or annulling the law, by claiming that "the Law of Return is an anachronistic law through which people that have nothing to do with Judaism receive citizenship."

Sheetrit, whose own family immigrated several decades ago from Morocco under the Law of Return, is playing a cheap game of political blame shifting. Instead of admitting utter failure to create effective policies to absorb halakhicly non-Jewish olim into Israel by allowing a simplified conversion procedure, Sheetrit shifts the blame to the Law of Return to cover up the ongoing fiasco.

The second part of Felter’s article presents the facts that some 30% of the residents of the southern town of Eilat are non-Jews and that Palestinians enter Israel by virtue of family reunification or marriage to Israeli Arabs. These facts, however enlightening they may be, have absolutely nothing to do with the Law of Return. Again, this appears to be a cynical use of the Law of Return to cover up the Ministry of Interior’s blatant failures in dealing with illegal labor immigrants, 25,000 African infiltrators, tens of thousands of Palestinian woman married to Bedouins and allowed to reside in Israel, and 16,000 Palestinian women living in the West Bank and receiving welfare from the State.

Sheetrit’s warning: “We will decide once and for all who is allowed to live here...” reeks of religious fascism and is nothing more than desperate blame shifting to cover-up for his personal failures as Minister of Interior.

Kingdom of Israel vs. Kingdom of Judah? – the Stark Dichotomy within the Israeli Society and its Attitude towards Christianity

Are we to be a democratic state, with freedom of conscience, freedom of expression and respectful tolerance for minority religions, or are we to be something closer to a nation ruled by a Jewish Ayatollah? Recently, the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies and Smith Institute conducted an enlightening survey examining the Israeli public's stances towards Christianity, the Christian world and Christian presence in Israel.

According to 54% of secular Jews, Christianity is closer to Judaism than Islam, while only 17% of religious respondents agreed to this statement, and 48% actually said that Islam is in fact closer. Meanwhile, 43% of the secular population defined the Catholic Church's attitude towards Judaism and Jews as positive, while 65% of religious said that it was negative.

Sixty percent of religious and ultra-orthodox respondents said the sight of a person wearing a cross disturbed them, whilst 91% of seculars said they did not mind it.

Sixty-eight percent of the secular community said that Christianity should be taught in schools, and 52% believed that the New Testament should be studied as well. Meanwhile, religious and haredim ruled out any reference to Christianity in school curriculums, 73% and 90% respectively.

Should Christians be allowed freedom of religious exercise in Israel? Seventy-one percent of secular Jews replied positively, while 68% of religious respondents opposed. Forty-eight percent of religious said churches' activity in Israel should be limited, while 48% of seculars said that they should enjoy the same funding Jewish religious institutions receive.

Both sectors believe that the state should prevent Christian bodies from buying land in Jerusalem (64% of seculars and 95% of religious). Asked whether Jews should be allowed to visit church, 80% of seculars replied positively and 83% of religious respondents answered negatively, with 43% claiming that all or most Christians were missionaries towards Jews; 82% of seculars disagreed with this notion. On the subject of donations, 70% of seculars said it was okay for Jewish organizations to receive contributions from Christian groups, while 79% of religious respondents disapproved.

Such statistics are the result of decades of ongoing vicious propaganda against Christians and Jewish believers in Jesus from radical marginal groups in the Israeli society, some of whom refer to themselves as “anti-missionary organizations”. Such organizations have painted a picture of believers whose sole goal is to convert Jews to orthodox Christianity and detach them from their Jewish roots and Jewish heritage, a picture which could not be farther from the truth.

Unfortunately, these groups have been fairly effective in their malicious campaign. Because of a relative lack of political and media lobbying on behalf of the believers in Israel, most of the general public, including many members of our government, our courts and our legislature, have been unaware of the outstanding nature of the believers – staunch Zionists who lobby internationally for our nation, provide extensive humanitarian aid for our poor and needy, encourage and facilitate tourism and educate the international Christian community as to the Jewish roots of their faith.

This ignorance and misinformation has created a phenomenon, whereby many leaders in the Israeli government who have been affected by the vicious propaganda systematically discriminate against Christians and Jewish believers in Jesus in Israel.

We at the Jerusalem Institute of Justice invite you to partner with us in our efforts to strengthen the democratic values and institutions of our nation. We are your hands and feet on the ground in Israel working tirelessly to forge a new reality of inter-faith respect, freedom of conscience and equality for all streams of faith within our society.

With your help and support we can make a difference.

Thank you.

 

Outgoing Minister of Interior Sheetrit: "We will decide once and for all who is allowed to live here...”

The Law of Return nobly declares that Israel constitutes a home, not only for its current inhabitants, but also for all members of the Jewish people everywhere — be they living in poverty and fear of persecution or in affluence and safety.

Sixty percent of religious and ultra-orthodox respondents said the sight of a person wearing a cross disturbed them, whilst 91% of seculars said they did not mind it.

Forty-eight percent of religious said churches' activity in Israel should be limited, while 48% of seculars said that they should enjoy the same funding Jewish religious institutions receive.