The number of non-Jewish family members making Aliyah

Hiddush's publication of Israel's immigration numbers of non-Jewish family members under the Law of Return, as provided by the Population and Immigration Authority [PIA] in response to our Freedom of Information demands, caused quite the media storm this week. This resulted in the Authority retracting from their own data, and changing it drastically.

27/12/2019 16:16

Tags: Freedom of Information request · Aliyah · Israel · the Law of Return · Jews · non-Jews

The new, totally different, data were not accompanied by any explanation or apology for misleading us and the public. Even so, the new data still validate Hiddush’s conclusions and present a challenging reality, justifying our call for the removal of authority over conversion from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, as well as allowing civil marriage and divorce.

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As to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova (which account for 51% of the number of immigrants over 2012-19, and 68% in 2019), only approximately one-third are Jewish [as defined under the Law] in comparison to approximately two-thirds, who are non-Jewish family members. Only 37% of the immigrants from Russia are Jewish [today, inclusive of those who converted]; Ukraine – 33%; Belarus – 35%; Moldova – 34%.

Even according to the updated data, more than 75,000 immigrants over this period are not Jewish according to the Law, and all of these are denied the basic civil right of marriage in their country.

Even according to the updated data, more than 75,000 immigrants over this period are not Jewish according to the Law, and all of these are denied the basic civil right of marriage in their country because of the control of the Chief Rabbinate over the marriages of all Jews in Israel and the absence of civil marriage. Further, this figure – though it is much smaller than the figure provided to Hiddush by PIA only one month ago – attests to the colossal failure of the Chief Rabbinate to open the gates of conversion to those who desire it. The number of conversions it has approved is only a small percentage of even the annual growth of the number of immigrants who are not Jewish, not to speak of the more than 350,000 who have immigrated in the past and are not recognized as Jews in Israel.

Unfortunately, the State of Israel and the Jewish Agency refuse to address the unequal rights of these Israeli citizens due to the mixing of religion and politics, even though their numbers are so high. The Jewish People does not act according to the views of the Chief Rabbinate and rejects religious coercion. The issues of conversion, the right to family and burial in Israel are heavy and pressing, but unfortunately even the Jewish Agency chooses not to bravely and responsibly address this challenge. We hope that the data we are now revealing will convince the Jewish Agency leadership and others that it is high time to ensure that all immigrants deserve to be treated as first class citizens, enjoy full and equal rights, and not fall victim to religious discrimination.

Recent media exposure regarding Aliyah to Israel gave us another opportunity
to witness the phenomenon of exclusion of women in Haredi media:
Left: photo of new immigrants used by Israeli media; Right: the same photo
as published by a Haredi online news outlet, blurring out the women's faces.