All Jewish lives matter

It was just a few days ago, while browsing a chat group, that I noticed a Hebrew ad for a position with Israel’s Interior Ministry, searching for workers to help process the overwhelming numbers of aliyah (immigration to Israel) applications they have received in recent days by Jews worldwide.

Of course, it’s not surprising, given the masses of pro-Palestinian supporters we are seeing in so many major cities, accompanied by loud, verbal backlash against Jews, due to their ethnicity. The very uneasy feeling is causing them to wonder if it’s time to leave, especially if they are no longer safe or wanted as they once assumed.  

When it comes to aliyah, most Jews fall into one of four categories. There are those who made aliyah many years ago, because they either had a great affinity towards the country, which they considered to be their ancestral homeland, or because they believed that, one day, their host countries might turn against them, similar to the time of the Holocaust. So, in some ways, for them, coming early was a pre-emptive move. 

Then there are those who had no desire to move here, but they also had an uneasy feeling based on history. So, they made aliyah on paper, in order to have their citizenship, as a type of insurance policy, should such a time come – but remained in their country of birth.

The third category consists of the Jews who never believed that their host country would turn against them. Now, having seen recent disturbing events, they are still hoping that everything will calm down once the war is over and will, once again, feel safe and resume their lives as normal. They are staying put!

The last category is comprised of those who aren’t taking that chance and are frantically doing what they should have done years before, but never thought about. They are the ones who are applying for Israeli citizenship because this moment in time feels a bit too familiar to the threatening atmosphere that preceded the realization that, perhaps, they waited too long to escape the peril.

Now, the Interior Ministry has been inundated with more applications than at any other time in history, finding themselves ill-prepared to handle the multitude of Jews who are seeking a safe refuge, despite Israel being at war. They know that the country’s military will fight for them, but cannot be assured that such a guarantee will be made as it concerns their own safety where they currently live.

With headlines such as, “It’s all over for Jews in the UK,” Jonathan Lieberman writes: “It appears that the cycle of Jewish history is that for limited periods of time in various places in the world, Jews were tolerated, maybe accepted, and in some cases thrived, only for this so-called ‘golden age’ to come to a crashing end.”

Lieberman, who, himself, grew up in Manchester, laments that although he personally never felt or experienced antisemitism, in his youth, he believes that for UK Jews, “it has all come to a grisly end.” Interestingly enough, he made that observation even before the huge 300,000-person protest against Israel took place in London on Nov. 11. 

So, what must he think now? Such numbers and vicious chants of, “From the river to the sea,” must only serve to confirm his worst fears. And this is exactly what is also being closely watched by local Jews. It is a newfound, growing fervor towards Palestinians whose representative government are bloodthirsty terrorists that have shown the world exactly what awaits their enemies.

This is why Lieberman says it’s time to leave. But his warning, is, by no means, a lone cry. Eric Michaelson, former executive vice-president of Nefesh B’Nefesh, an arm of the Jewish Agency that facilitates aliyah requests, has also spoken about the fear Jews have expressed, as it relates to whether or not they will be safe if they leave their homes to go outside.

It is because of that gnawing sense of danger that he believes aliyah is the answer. In fact, he is promoting the idea “to maximize the benefits of Aliyah and capitalize on this current unique opportunity of encouraging more Jews to make Israel their home, the Israeli government and its affiliate platforms must take proactive measures, streamline bureaucracy significantly, reduce hurdles and even offer financial incentives and tax breaks to encourage professional and entrepreneurs to relocate to Israel.”

Apparently, he is all too familiar with the very complex process that making aliyah has become over the last 15 or so years. Once, it was just a simple matter of showing up at the Interior Ministry’s office with documents proving your Jewish heritage. Within six weeks, you would be the recipient of citizenship, followed by receiving an Israeli passport.  

Sadly, once ultra-Orthodox government coalitions took control of that ministry a number of years ago, personal documents were no longer sufficient. Applicants were required to furnish a letter from their local rabbi, attesting to the fact that they were Jews in good standing. The problem, of course, was that not every Jew is a member of a local synagogue. Many have chosen not to be affiliated at all. For those Jews, the process became much more difficult. If you declared no religious ties or were reticent to speak about matters of faith, it was likely that your application was either slow-walked, meticulously scrutinized or even rejected, necessitating the help of an attorney to fight for your rights. 

It was a clever way of weeding out the less-desired secular types, by either bleeding them dry financially, through court proceedings or just wearing them out in the game of who will capitulate first. It was never the Interior Ministry! But now things have dramatically changed. We are living in pre-Nazi Europe times, and Jews are frightened. The only difference is that there is a Jewish homeland, a safe refuge that was established just for times like these.

So, will Michaelson’s words be heeded? Will all Jews, at this most perilous and frightening time, since the days of Hitler, be welcomed to return to their ancestral homeland, regardless of personal matters of faith or lack of it? Does one’s ethnicity hang solely on religious affiliation? And if it does, what happens to people born Jewish, who have chosen to be atheists or who have opted for another set of beliefs? Are they destined to perish in their host countries because Israeli bureaucrats are unwilling to grant them refuge?

At such a time as this, there should be absolutely no impediments to aliyah if Israel hopes to retain its claims of moral standing. We are, after all, a people who have been dispersed for over 2,000 years, and, during that time, we have been exposed to every manner of thought and philosophy. What we have adopted into our hearts and minds should remain personal and private. The only thing that really counts is our birthright, and if someone was born of Jewish parentage or, per the Law of Return, a Jewish grandparent, that is all that should be taken into consideration.

To demand a higher standard is to deny the fact that All Jewish Lives Matter!