Almost 50% of the immigrants from Russia and Ukraine come to Israel thanks to the grandchild section of the Law of Return. This is a significant increase since the 1990s, when only about 10% of non-Jewish immigrants used this section. In light of these data, "Israel Today" reveals that even if the grandchild clause is abolished - as the new government wants to do - thousands of non-Jews will still immigrate to Israel every year.
In recent weeks, a storm has been brewing over the question of whether the grandson clause should be abolished.
If this is done, the opponents claim, it could have significant effects on Israel.
The grandson section allows for the acceptance of ascendant status even for a non-Jew according to the Halacha, on the condition that he is at least the grandson of a Jew.
But in fact, by virtue of this section, great-grandchildren of Jews also enter Israel - mostly children or teenagers who immigrate with their parents.
The rate of non-Jewish immigrants from 1990 until today,
Today, about 70% of the immigrants are not Jewish according to Halacha, therefore with the cancellation of the grandson clause, there will be a significant decrease in their number.
But at the same time - there are still tens of thousands of first degree non-Jews (children of Jews or married to Jews) who will still be able to immigrate, even with the cancellation of the section.
continuous increase
"Even if the grandson section is amended, many non-Jews will be able to continue immigrating to Israel," explains Dr. Nathaniel Fisher, a lecturer at Sha'ari Mishpat College and an expert in the field of immigration and immigration to Israel. Fisher conducted a first-of-its-kind study based on data he received over decades from "Nativ" - The entity that issues the immigration visas to Israel.
"For example, it is very likely that a Jewish grandson will still be able to immigrate together with his parents. On the other hand, the amendment of the section will prevent the immigration of more distant relatives - that is, adult grandchildren and their families, who in recent years constitute a very considerable proportion of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants."
The numbers provided by Dr. Fisher indicate a massive increase in the use of the grandchild section since immigration to Israel from the countries of the former Soviet Union began, photo: Oren Senens
The numbers provided by Dr. Fisher, which are revealed for the first time, indicate a massive increase in the use of the grandchild clause since immigration to Israel from the countries of the former Soviet Union began - because most of the immigrants were Jews who came to Israel after the fall of the Iron Curtain.
In 2000, the proportion of immigrants using the section was already 28%, and in 2010, 38% of immigrants arrived through it.
As of 2020, about 48% of immigrants to Israel do so thanks to the grandchild clause.
It was recently published in Israel Hayom that following the war between Russia and Ukraine, about 52,000 people immigrated to Israel - of which about 40,000 are not Jews according to Halacha, the vast majority from Russia.
The explanation is that about 20 thousand of them immigrated in 2022 through the grandson clause.
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