Former Labor MK Leon Litinetski, who served in the Knesset from 2008-2009, said
that in the past year, since Yacimovich was elected party leader, “the
organization was ignored, as are the topics that are important to
us.”
The Labor Immigrants’ Organization, comprised almost entirely of
Israelis from the Former Soviet Union, focuses on issues such as burials for
non- Jewish IDF soldiers and civil marriages.
The former MK, a Labor
member for over 20 years, revived the Labor Immigrants’ Organization in 2007,
and said he recruited over 6,000 Russian- speaking immigrants to the party
within a year, but over 70 percent of them have left since
2010.
Litinetski called Yacimovich’s attitude “apparently a strange
strategic decision not to pay attention to immigrants.”
“Out of
responsibility and faith, we did not leave in the past two years because we
thought we could have an influence, talk to the leadership and explain to
Yacimovich that she made a mistake,” he said.
“However, since she was
elected, she has not bothered to even meet with the organization’s leaders,
although we requested to speak with her many times.”
Litinetski attempted
to speak to Yacimovich last week, and tried once more on Tuesday morning, to no
avail.
The organization plans to meet this week to decide “if there is a
political framework that answers our ideological demands, and will act, not just
promise.”
Yacimovich’s spokeswoman said that Litinetski “made a
ridiculous demand” that Yacimovich save him a spot high on the party
list.
“In 2010, the number of FSU immigrants in the party was 1,642, and
in 2012 the number reached 2,558,” the spokeswoman stated. “Two of Yacimovich’s
parliamentary assistants are from the FSU and she has a dedicated group of
Russian- speaking volunteers involved in many party activities.”
The
spokeswoman added that Yacimovich proposes social laws and policies that help
immigrants.