About 13,000 Ukrainians of Jewish origin have repatriated to Israel since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while the number of repatriates from Russia amounted to 26,000, that is, about one in eight Russian Jews left the country, writes The Guardian on Sunday.
According to the publication, another 35,000 Russians of Jewish origin are awaiting paperwork.
“The repatriation process has been expedited for Ukrainians who are classified as refugees, but unexpected demand from Russia has stunned the Jewish Agency, a quasi-state body that facilitates immigration… However, the work of the Jewish Agency is under threat. In July, the Russian Ministry of Justice recommended closing the organization,” – writes the publication.
The article notes that despite pressure from its Western allies to take a decisive stance, Israel tried to remain neutral in the Russian war in Ukraine, as it relies on Moscow to facilitate its military operations in Syria, but the threat of closing the offices of the Jewish Agency prompted the acting Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid to warn that such a move would deal a serious blow to bilateral relations.
Since 1950, Israel has experienced several waves of aliyah from countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen, as well as an influx of more than 1 million people from the USSR and its independent republics after 1989. According to Ukrainian-born Knesset member Yuli Edelshtein, who spent three years in a Siberian penal colony, history repeats itself. “Danger has been a part of the Jewish experience in Russia for generations. Nobody will ever forget this… This time people leave in a hurry – they are driven by fear,” he said.
Russian citizens in Israel are still accepted as tourists. Five new private agencies have also opened to help Jewish Russians make aliyah. “Municipal administration offices across the country have seen a surge in the number of people looking for documents to support their claims of Jewish ancestry. Many of those turning to the authorities for help are mothers desperate to get their sons out of the country,” it said. in the article.
Source: http://theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/16/ukrainians-russians-jews-jewish-roots-flee-israel-aliyah
20 heavily wounded Ukrainian servicemen will undergo treatment in Israel, the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine reported on Twitter on Sunday.
“Israel will accept for treatment 20 Ukrainian servicemen who were seriously injured during the hostilities,” said Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Brodsky.
According to him, the transportation of the wounded was organized by the Israeli Embassy, the Israeli Mashav Center and the Israeli Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
Israel has made a strategic decision to provide assistance to Ukraine, but it has to exercise caution when providing military assistance, Israel’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine Mikhail Brodsky said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“Israel, unfortunately, is located in a dysfunctional region. It is such a powder keg on top of which Israel sits. The security threats to Israel, the threats to the lives of both Israeli soldiers and Israeli citizens are colossal. Ukraine today is facing a very powerful adversary, a superpower, from Israel in this sense, the situation is different, the threats are different, but nevertheless, this is also a serious war, a war on terror, which requires maximum resources, maximum mobilization of society.For these reasons, and because of the sensitive relationship that we have with Russia, we We think first of all about our own interests and are forced to exercise caution,” he said.
“This does not mean that we do not help Ukraine. From the first day we made a strategic decision to provide the maximum assistance to Ukraine that we can afford. Without crossing the “red lines” and without endangering our national interests. Without endangering the lives of ordinary Israelis “, – note the diplomat.
Brodsky noted “hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid that we supplied – medicine, food, fresh water, generators, water desalination plants. This is a field hospital, which is located in the Lviv region, during the stay of Israeli doctors there they provided assistance to 6 thousand Ukrainians – refugees and local residents.
In addition, he recalled “dozens of people who were taken to Israel for treatment. These are children from the Okhmatdet hospital with oncological diseases. These are patients who were in the Israeli field hospital, whom it was then decided to transfer to Israel and continue treatment there” .
According to Brodsky, “the healthcare sector is an area in which Israel should actively help Ukraine after the war, too. It will be necessary to restore the entire infrastructure, including healthcare. I think it will be right that Israel will contribute to the creation of a new, modern system healthcare in Ukraine”.
Due to the full-scale Russian invasion and the inability to guarantee security, pilgrims will not be able to arrive in Ukraine to celebrate the new year according to the Jewish calendar (Rosh Hashanah), the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel reports.
“Due to the Russian war in Ukraine, visitors will not be able to enter the country. Every year on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, visitors from Israel and around the world fly to Ukraine to pray at the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav and other holy places . This year, due to the ongoing Russian war, the celebration of Rosh Hashanah has not been determined,” the Facebook post said.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk addressed the Orthodox media in Israel about a trip to Ukraine during the upcoming Jewish holidays.
“Due to fears for the lives and well-being of those coming to Ukraine and in light of the flagrant Russian war in our country, despite all efforts, we cannot guarantee the safety of pilgrims and currently do not allow tourists and visitors to enter Ukraine,” the mill said. .
He also urged to pray “for the war in Ukraine to end before Rosh Hashanah, which broke out due to flagrant and brutal Russian aggression, and pray for the victory of Ukraine.”
Every autumn, in the city of Uman, Cherkasy region, where the grave of the leader of the Bratslav Hasidim, Tzadik Nakhman, is located, Hasidic pilgrims from all over the world arrive to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
The Supreme Court of Justice of Israel (High Court of Justice) by its decision canceled the order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the country, Ayelet Shaked, to deprive Ukrainian citizens of the right to visa-free entry to Israel, which was introduced after the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine, NEWSru.co.il reports. Sunday.
“According to the decision of the High Court of Justice, citizens of Ukraine will be able to enter Israel for three months without the need to submit a special request for this. This practice was introduced by the decision of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs after the start of the war in Ukraine,” the report says.
It clarifies that the court also ordered the defendant (the State of Israel) to pay legal costs in the amount of 20,000 shekels.
As reported, Tomer Varsh’s law office in Israel filed a petition with the High Court against the decision of Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked to limit the number of Ukrainian refugees in Israel to 5,000. The Embassy of Ukraine expressed support for the petition.
The plaintiffs demanded that the Israeli authorities adhere to interstate agreements on visa-free entry to Israel for citizens of Ukraine. The High Court of Justice at a meeting on March 21, given that the term of the “scheme” for accepting Ukrainian refugees, proposed by the Minister of Internal Affairs Ayelet Shaked, expires on March 27, and the Committee on Internal Affairs must discuss this issue on March 23, took the following decision: The defendants must submit an application for decision within 24 hours after it is made, but no later than March 28.
The embassy statement indicates that the court recognized the existence of legal decisions regarding the consideration of the issue of entry of Ukrainian citizens to Israel. The statement also said that “Interior Minister Shaked and the Knesset Home Affairs Committee will ‘rethink’ the current entry policy and allow the entry of Ukrainian citizens ‘without any preconditions’.”
Two citizens of Ukraine were killed in a terrorist attack in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak on March 29, Spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleh Nikolenko has said.
“Ukrainians lived in Israel for a long time, both residents of Chernivtsi region. The Embassy of Ukraine is currently taking measures to inform the relatives of the victims and provide them with consular assistance, and also interacting with the police as part of the investigation of the terrorist attack,” Nikolenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
