JTA — “You’ll call until the Messiah comes,” a woman responded this week to a frantic question about embassy appointments on a Facebook group for Russian Jews who are planning to move to Israel, or plan to make are AaliyahSuch a move is known as
While the Russians can’t wait until the Messiah arrives to take this step, they face extended delays, even as their country plunges into a crisis due to war, their president Vladimir Putin. launched last month against neighboring Ukraine.
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, waiting times for appointments at Israeli embassies have recently increased and can now be up to eight months. This is proving to be a challenge, as many Jews there are making sudden plans to leave their longtime homes, coupled with Putin’s tough crackdown on freedom of expression, the closure of independent media outlets, and the criminalization of anti-war protests. With is inspired by the international wave. sanctions on Russia that can push many people into poverty in the country.
“Everyone who has any hope of obtaining citizenship and leaving Russia is trying to do so,” a Moscow artist told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The artist, who went through the immigration process before the war and will soon be leaving for Israel, has just requested anonymity due to fear of speaking to the press in Russia.
According to the United Nations, more than 2.7 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began on February 24, and Israeli officials are expecting potentially thousands of new immigrants. According to the country’s most recent figures, Israel has already accepted more than 7,000 refugees from Ukraine, about half of whom are eligible for citizenship under Israeli law, for which applicants must have at least one Jewish grandparent. is needed. The Jewish Agency, the group responsible for monitoring Israeli immigration, describes the influx as “an unprecedented operation”.
But as scenes of Ukrainian Jews and their relatives arriving in Israel have attracted global attention since the first flights arrived two weeks ago, less attention has been paid to those on the other side of the war.
Israel has granted 1,400 entry visas to Russians since February 24, according to Native, the government department dealing with immigration from the former Soviet Union.
Recognizing that Russia has become increasingly a more difficult and dangerous place, the country has eased its immigration process for Russians, although embassy waiting times are unlikely to be affected.
“At this time Russian citizens requesting aliyah are not required to bring an apostille signature or a police certificate on their documents,” said a Native spokesperson from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. it has expired), and are not obliged to declare their intention to settle in Israel.”
The Jewish agency told the JTA it is seeing “increased interest” from Russia, but it is too early to tell whether this interest will translate into actual immigration or an ongoing trend.
Example: Russian immigrants attend an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the major wave of Aaliyah from the former Soviet Union to Israel at the Jerusalem Convention Center on December 24, 2015. (hadas man/flash90)
On the ground, however, many Jews say they are starting to pack their bags, and in many cases, are leaving a lot behind.
Ilya, a 42-year-old digital creative professional, arrived in Israel on the night of March 6. “The recent actions of the Russian government have left us no choice,” he said, citing the harsh actions of his opposition to the war.
He managed to obtain an Israeli passport in 2019, which means he can simply board a plane with “no questions asked”. He said the process of obtaining citizenship had been “disgraceful” – an assessment shared by many Jews who run against Israel’s efforts to check family history or conversion status of willing immigrants,
“If you go through this purification, you will find the rest easier,” said Ilya, sympathizing with those who have to go through the process during the war.
With the Russian ruble falling into the new nadir, new immigrants’ savings are lower than ever. Ilya criticized the “hypocrisy” of the economic sanctions, which he says are mostly common people “who are losing their jobs, gaining access to their professional tools like Adobe products and not working for companies outside Russia.” can do.”
Still, he said, “we chose to be free. Poor, but free.”
Example: A Russian shop is pictured in the northern Israeli city of Nof Haglil, welcoming refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine on March 6, 2022. (Jala Marie / AFP)
Not everyone is ready to take the leap in the midst of uncertainty. Another artist in Moscow, who requested anonymity due to conditions in Russia, said she had booked her plane tickets for the end of the month, but “problems with the banks” prevented her from leaving immediately. have been
“Due to the blocking of the card, it is not possible to rent a house and buy food in Israel. And all my savings have been wiped out because of exchange rates,” she adds.
Daniel Goldman and his wife Sophia moved to Israel the day before the war began. He decided to leave for “political reasons”, but the war was the “cherry on the cake”, he said.
They are also suffering from falling values of the currency and Russian stocks – although they said they support sanctions that have sent the Russian economy into freefall.
As of Tuesday, Sofia’s Russian bank card no longer works in Israel following sanctions by Visa and MasterCard. “The harder it is, the better, because nothing will change until Putin is ousted,” she said.
“Our life was wonderful,” he says. Daniels has five bars—one of which is called a Zionist and the other a mitzvah—and an anise distillation plant for arak, a Middle Eastern alcoholic spirit. They realized that their time in Russia had ended when Sofia became pregnant.
Sophia said of Russia, ‘I don’t want to raise children in a place like this. “I don’t want to explain to my daughter that you need to fear the police, that there will be no justice if someone did something to her,” she said, hoping they could return to a better Russia. Day.
Example: Israelis buy groceries at a supermarket decorated with icons and ornaments for the Russian holiday of Novi God Rishon Legion on December 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Oded Bucketty)
Sophia, who is not Jewish, describes the “horrible” process by the Israeli government to be recognized as a participant. For other Russians, many of whom are married to Gentiles, this proved to be a decisive obstacle.
Katharina, who lives in St Petersburg, said her 12-year-old son was harassed at school after questioning Russia’s attack on Ukraine. When the teacher called her to complain about her child’s thoughts, she realized that the situation at home was untenable.
Israel is potentially on the agenda, but she fears that the fact that her husband is not Jewish will cause problems, even if he is able to accompany her under the law of return. Originally from Ukraine, his home town of Bila Tserkva near Kiev was heavily shelled. “He doesn’t eat or sleep,” she says. “If it wasn’t for our kid, he would have volunteered to fight there.”
Katharina was telling her story over the phone to Asiya Engel, a Jewish poetess who left Russia in 2016 to secure a better life for her disabled son. At their wide-window home in Jaffa, which she shares with another Jewish Russian immigrant, Olga, they are hosting a friend who is commuting on a tourist visa until the situation calms down.
“I do not plan to migrate. My plan is just to wait and think, ”said his guest Nastya. “I love my home,” she said, but explained that she fears for her freedom given her anti-war activities.
In addition to the many difficulties, Russian Jews said they were also surprised by Putin’s justification for the war, citing neo-Nazi elements in the Ukrainian government. Asya, whose grandmother Bluma was one of the few survivors of her family, apparently rejected Putin’s “Slander” Tale: “Putin himself is a Nazi.”
“My heart aches for all my Russian friends,” said Asya. “But I’m so glad I’m here.”