‘An Escape’: Russian Jews Flee to Israel

Russian Natalia Leleka was visiting her daughter in Israel. Then war broke out in Ukraine, and he did not return to Moscow. “I’m afraid to go back,” he said. “Everything I love in my country has been destroyed by the war. There is no more reason for optimism in Russia, there is no freedom and no future.”

She has been living in Modi’in, Israel for over a month now with her daughter, son-in-law and two children. Meanwhile, her husband, son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren also came from Russia. The whole family plans to apply for an Israeli passport.

Leleka is a longtime rival of President Putin and fears the consequences if she returns to Russia. “I’ve never kept my opinion a secret and it’s getting more and more dangerous.”

With pressure mounting from international sanctions and the worsening economy, he is not alone in looking to leave Russia. There are also people who want to leave so as not to be recruited into the Russian army. Leleka’s son-in-law, Ilya Kuperman, says many Russians are trying to leave the country as soon as possible: “Because you don’t know how long the flights will last and when Putin will declare martial law and close the borders. †

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Many Russians are jealous of me that I can move to Israel.

Natalya Leleka

For Russians of Jewish descent, Israel can be a way out. Under Israeli law of 1950, anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent can become an Israeli citizen. It is estimated that more than half a million Russians are eligible for Israeli passports.

“For me it’s an escape,” says Natalia Leleka. “My mother was Jewish, so I can get Israeli citizenship. Many Russians are jealous of me because that way I can move to Israel. A lot of people want to get that chance.”

In recent years, Russia has been the main country of origin for immigrants to Israel. Last year, 7,700 Russians arrived in Israel, more than a quarter of the total number of new arrivals. This year, those numbers are much higher. Interior Minister Shaked said last week that he expects “tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands” of immigrants from Russia and Ukraine.

Israel’s opening of the door to Russian Jews also creates confusion. A vulnerable group is the Russian Jewish oligarchs, such as Roman Abramovich, who received Israeli citizenship in 2018. Israel is under pressure from the US to prevent these businessmen in Israel from evading economic sanctions against them.

Temporary housing in the occupied territory

But most of the refugees today are not from Russia, but from Ukraine. More than 7,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Israel in recent weeks. About 200,000 people live in Ukraine and are allowed to settle in Israel because of their Jewish roots.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he wanted to receive them “with an open door and an open heart”. The World Zionist Organization has announced that at least 1,000 temporary housing will be built for the group, some of which will be in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Critics point out that non-Jewish refugees are not welcome in Israel. In addition, some Ukrainian passengers at the airport had to pay a deposit of several thousand euros before being allowed to enter Israel. In response to the criticism, Israel said it would relax the criteria. In a statement last night, the interior minister said all Ukrainian refugees with families are welcome in Israel.

Meanwhile, Natalia is convinced that she will never see her homeland again. “I will miss many things, for example our summer house on the Volga,” he says. “I hope one day I can return to Russia, albeit on vacation. But as long as Putin is in power, Russia has no future. And even if it disappears from the scene, it takes a long time for everything to disappear. back to how it was.

Source: NOS

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