Bad Numbers

Almost 60% of the new immigrants who have arrived in Israel from the former Soviet Union since the beginning of 2002 are not Jewish. Interior Minister Eli Yeshai says that the statistics indicate the gravity of the situation and "emphasize the urgency with which the Law of Return must be changed."

Aug 21, 2002, 10:56 AM (GMT+3)

Almost 60% of the new immigrants who have arrived in Israel from the former Soviet Union since the beginning of 2002 are not Jewish. The Interior Ministry reports that in the first seven months of this year, Israel has absorbed some 9,300 immigrants, of whom only 3,800 are Jewish. Interior Minister Eli Yeshai says that the statistics indicate the gravity of the situation and "emphasize the urgency with which the Law of Return must be changed." The law currently grants automatic citizenship to non-Jewish grandchildren of a Jew immigrating together to Israel. "If this law is not changed," Yeshai said today, "the State of Israel will lose its Jewish identity within eight years." Previous attempts to change the law encountered strong opposition from the Yisrael B'Aliyah party and others.