Media: US asks Israel to review the procedure for granting citizenship to Russian repatriates

The US authorities have asked the Israeli government and the agency "Sohnut" to clarify the procedure for issuing Israeli citizenship. Washington is concerned about how the country's authorities verify the identity of Russian citizens applying for repatriation, reports Moscow Times.

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The US fears that after obtaining Israeli citizenship, “Russian citizens with a problematic past” will be able to get to America: oligarchs, businessmen and people with a criminal record. Washington also does not exclude the use of this mechanism for the transfer of Russian spies to the country.

After Putin's mobilization, Israeli passports are in great demand among Russian Jews. In 2022, 37 people moved to Israel from Russia, another 364 from Ukraine and 14 from Belarus. Immigration from these countries increased dramatically after the start of the war in Ukraine. Upon arrival, the immigrants received an Israeli identity card and a passport. Many of them subsequently left Israel and live in other countries.

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In the past, immigrants had to live in Israel for a certain amount of time before being granted a passport, but today they receive citizenship when they enter the country.

Israel may join the US visa waiver program in the fall, if it satisfies all the requirements of the US authorities. In this case, all holders of Israeli passports will be able to travel to the United States without a US visa.

The descendants of Jews have the right to obtain Israeli citizenship under the repatriation program, and the Sokhnut agency helps them organize this process. Most of all, Jews of the younger generation came to Israel: about 24% under the age of 18 and about 27% from 18 to 35 years old.

In Russia, the Ministry of Justice sent a lawsuit to the Basmanny Court to liquidate the Russian representative office of Sokhnut. The authorities were dissatisfied with the “brain drain,” as the BBC Russian Service wrote, citing sources familiar with the document. Officials say that the claims against "Sohnut" are not connected with the "brain drain". At the last court session, the Ministry of Justice reported that the Sokhnut website did not have the “correct” anti-virus program and cryptographic information protection tools. In August, the agency officially ceased operations and presence in Russia.

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Some Russian Jews are afraid to return to Russia, while others are seeking Israeli passports amid Putin's announced mobilization for participation in the Russian-Ukrainian war, reports Jerusalem Post.

“Everyone wants an Israeli passport, but it takes a whole year to wait for an interview,” said Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar.

“I don’t think they are quite ready to leave,” Lazar said in an interview about Russian Jews.

“People want security, to have a passport if they need one. But we have not seen a wave of relocations—there has not been a reduction in the number of community members,” he told Mishpacha magazine editor Arya Erlich.

However, he also thinks that Russian Jews are looking for a strong community in Russia. “They want some source of strength—they want the community to be on their side if something happens,” he says.

Putin rabbi?

Lazar came to Russia in 1992 with his wife Chani to revive Jewish life in the former Soviet Union. He said he now leads a network of 200 people across Russia, most of them rabbis.

He is considered "Putin's rabbi" although, according to the interview, he has not spoken to Putin lately.

“Rabbi Lazar says he has not spoken to Putin since the war began, initially due to strict COVID-19 protocol requiring two weeks of isolation,” Ehrlich wrote. “And despite the rumors, he says he received no instructions from the Kremlin to take a position or remain silent.”

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On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Lazar received an annual letter of blessing from the Office of the President. In the letter, Putin said: "It is very important that Russian Jews, while remaining faithful to the spiritual tradition of their ancestors, make a significant contribution to the preservation of the cultural diversity of our country."

Protection of Russian Jews

“We are doing everything we can, using all our connections to protect Ukrainian Jews, as well as many holy places in Ukraine,” Lazar said. “Many family members of Russian rabbis are still in Ukraine, and we are doing everything we can to help them and provide them with moral support as well as financial assistance.”

Lazar told Ehrlich that Russian authorities are aware of this assistance and know that there is no politics involved. “Politics and nationalist interests have nothing to do with us, and the Russian government knows this,” he said.

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