Israeli citizenship should not be conditional on aliyah – opinion

If Israel is the country of all Jews, why should that double affection not express itself in the form of a right to dual citizenship without people having to leave their current homes?

By PIERRE BESNAINOU
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS land in Israel on a Nefesh B’Nefesh charter aliyah flight. (photo credit: SHAHAR AZRAN)
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS land in Israel on a Nefesh B’Nefesh charter aliyah flight.
(photo credit: SHAHAR AZRAN)
The coronavirus epidemic has swept the planet, society, the individual and the economy into its drama.
This drama has indiscriminately seized all nations, north and south, rich and poor, developed and developing.
The implications for their populations differ from country to country, and it will be up to each citizen to form an opinion of the specific government’s decisions.
The Israeli government has been considered one of the best at confronting the epidemic, with a low death toll per million residents.
The economic support provided to prevent Israeli society from collapsing will certainly be a topic for future evaluation.
But Israel confronts one matter that the rest of the world does not.
This crisis has destabilized the position of the Law of Return as a cornerstone of the Zionist endeavor.
Israelis were permitted to enter Israel even if they had no homes there, but Diaspora Jews...
No!
Israel, the state of the Jewish people, where Jews throughout the world believe that they will always be welcomed in time of danger, did not agree to grant them refuge during this deadly epidemic.
I recall that in July 2005, when prime minister Ariel Sharon called for the Jews of France to come on aliyah in response to an upsurge in antisemitism, there were many who considered his speech an insult and an interference in France’s affairs.
It even led to a diplomatic confrontation between the countries.
As president of the European Jewish Congress at that time, I initiated a discussion among Diaspora Jewry with an emphasis on the topic of dual loyalty, sensitive as it was.
Some people observed that they felt torn in two directions by the unique situation, and others considered it a dual disloyalty that must be resolved by choosing.
Our feeling of belonging to the Children of Israel could not and should not be actualized only by aliyah, because since the creation of Israel in 1948, only those Jews who have settled in Israel have all automatically obtained citizenship.
And even if the great majority of Diaspora Jews have two loves, two homelands – the one where they reside and Israel – that double appreciation ultimately comes to resemble a rupture more than a rapport.
This fact of psychology must be addressed in terms of administration and of practical politics.
If Israel is the country of all Jews, why should that double affection not express itself in the form of a right to dual citizenship without people having to leave their current homes?
There are three advantages to that solution:
The first advantage concerns the relationship between Diaspora Jews and the countries where they reside. There will be an end to accusations of hypocrisy based on impaired solidarity and dual loyalty.
A French Jew is constantly suspected of facing a choice between his land of citizenship and his land of spiritual heritage. An American Israeli has dual citizenship, which is simpler, clearer, easier and fairer overall than dual loyalty.
The second advantage concerns the relationship between the Diaspora Jews and their land of heritage. That solidarity, that affection gripping the hearts of Jews who feel attached to Israel, will finally be printed on paper. And it will be more than a mere symbol!
The third advantage concerns the relationship between the Diaspora Jews and themselves.
No longer will a British Jew need to decide whether to root for Israel or England in a soccer match. Instead, equal pride will go into singing “Hatikvah” and “God Save the Queen.”
Dual citizenship will bring the clarity and peace of mind that is often missing among Diaspora Jews.
The proposal that Israeli citizenship become easy for such Jews to acquire, and not conditional on aliyah, is one that I had the privilege of raising with Sharon some days before his health failed.
I reminded him that if the Jewish people has survived for centuries, it is principally thanks to a unique pillar of support, once the synagogue but today the State of Israel.
He showed genuine interest, and we had agreed to continue the discussion, but unfortunately...
Realizing that new challenges await the Jewish people, and valuing its unity, the new government should reaffirm the principles of Zionism by granting Israeli citizenship to every Jew who desires it.
The writer is the former president of the European Jewish Congress.