Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog cautioned against eliminating the Israeli Law of Return’s “Grandchild Clause” when addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Thursday.
The clause, which the current governing coalition is seeking to remove from the Law of Return, allows any person with at least one Jewish grandparent to make Aliyah to Israel as long as they do not practice a religion other than Judaism.
While the law was considered a key to Israel’s demographic future during the 1950s and 1960s – and again in the 1990s following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 – the “Grandchild Clause” has resulted in an expansion of non-Jewish immigration.
A recently published report by the Center for Immigration Policy, Israel’s Jewish majority fell in 2022 by 0.3 points as a result of non-Jewish immigration, from 73.9% a year earlier to 73.6%.
“Abolition of the Law of Return’s Grandchild Clause is unacceptable for us, out of genuine concern that it will create a rift among the Jewish people – both in Israel and among world Jewry,” Almog said on Thursday. “It stigmatizes sectors of the Israeli population who contribute to the state and are an integral part of it. This change would also detach millions of Jews around the world from Israel.”
He continued, “The State of Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people. It is the home of every Jew from all denominations and circles. We will promote an open and inclusive dialogue regarding the sensitive matters, for our brothers and sisters who live in Israel by virtue of the Law of Return, as we have a moral obligation to them.”
The Jewish Agency, he added, “will continue opening the State of Israel’s gates for any oleh (new immigrant) who meets the criteria established by the Law of Return, and for all members of the Jewish nation. This is our mission in ordinary times, and certainly in emergency situations.”
With Israel and world Jewry experiencing tension over the Israeli government’s proposed judicial reforms, Almog also called on global Jewish communities to strengthen their involvement with Israel and not pull away from it.
“In the face of the severe political disagreements in Israel, there are voices within Jews overseas who say now is the time to disconnect from Zionist activities and from Israel. I wish to tell them the exact opposite is true,” he said.
Addressing the 52 member organizations of the Conference of Presidents, he said, “This is the time to strengthen your involvement, to make your voice heard, and support the State of Israel – each organization among the audience that shares its views, but also in the unity that is above the disagreements, in which our strength lies.”
In a time of divisiveness, Almog emphasized that he supports President Isaac Herzog's compromise plan and that it is necessary for members of the Jewish community to act in sync and make every effort to avoid turning against one another.
“We need to remember and remind ourselves that the government of Israel was democratically elected, and that the public protest is also one of the most important principles of democracy. We need to make sure that the public discourse, heated as it may be, will remain within the boundaries of democratic debate and will not spill over into hatred of our brethren.”