Thank you, Steve. The U.S. immigration process and laws have needed change for over 30 years. Migrants seeking asylum today will see added to their numbers others affected adversely by climate change. In the not so distant future, the flow of humankind to safety will increase and procedures have to change to reach a new equilibrium for peace, stability, hope, and progress.
I absolutely agree with you. But it will be a difficult adjustment for citizens of the wealthier countries to accept the implications of this evolving reality. It is easier to blame a political rival rather than forces out of our control.
Happy Birthday and thank you for this thoughtful post. Honestly, I feel we are a better nation for welcoming those who want to come, contribute, and seek refuge. Can you perhaps share with us some groups that are working to support these immigrants and working towards policy change.
Also, how do I see the picture you are referencing from 2017?
Hey Karen, you see the photo if you go to the website. Most people probably don't see the photo, but I'm obliged to put the credit for the right to use them. I don't know of any groups personally, but Columbia U has a guide of immigration NGOs, some of which engage in policy: https://guides.library.columbia.edu/c.php?g=709736&p=5071341
What proportion of the population should be allowed become to new immigrants? The original idea of this state was for it to be a home for wandering Jews, who at last could come to a fitting and internationally acceptable home, and not for this land to provide a haven for non-Jews from badly governed countries, as an escape from persecution. Have our principles changed?
That is a challenging question. Ideally all countries are pulling their weight. Canada has done very well accepting 1.3% of its population. If Israel did just that, prioritizing Jewish immigration, that would mean taking in between 30,000-80,000 non-Jews, a number that would hardly make a dent in the Jewish character of the country. Note that Israel has already accepted 400,000 non-Jews from the former Soviet Union without jeopardizing its Jewish character. Plus, many of these immigrants would be taking jobs now filled by the current migrant system, which is very inefficient, and their children would be contributing to the defense of the country.
The influx of the Russian Jews has definitely influenced the character of our land. How many non-kosher Russian-speaking shops are there selling pork, shell-fish and other similar products than their almost equivalent kosher food ones? In my town of perhaps 250,000 souls, there are an easy number of 9 shops of this kind.
I agree with you on a local level, but I don't see it affecting the Jewish character of the state on a national level: the national celebrations, the laws, the symbols. So perhaps the term "Jewish character" is somewhat ambiguous, and we have different things in mind when we hear that term.
I see a general trend in Israel to have more non-kosher restaurants and business open on Shabbat, which non-Jewish Russian speakers are a part of but also includes Jewish Russian speakers. I've known several of those who also love pork products. There are also a lot of non-kosher places that have opened in the wake of the permanent presence of non-Jewish migrant workers. So this phenomenon can happen even without granting citizenship. And even if non-Jewish olim were banned, I don't see the state turning away non-Jewish migrant workers or Halakhically Jewish Russian immigrants giving up their non-kosher way of life.
What you are writing is that the influence of the Russian immigrants is turning our country into a less kosher-observing one than before, that is still Jewish. Since many of us are non-orthodox but still prefer to follow some of the commandments and laws of our Jewish faith, it apparently is OK for less care be given to them by the Russians. This is because they too are Jewish, so that by coming to live here, what they do remains typical of the average of all the Jews, even though it is not average of the typical older olim and long-time residents.
I wouldn't put it quite that way, rather I'd say that the Russian immigrants are contributing to a general trend of less observance, but they aren't the ones driving it. There is a trend of secularization across Europe and North America, regardless of immigration trends. In my view, this is a case where correlation doesn't equal causation. Plus, we don't know what Israel would look like without immigration from the FSU. Would there be as many pork shops? Probably not. But would there be nearly as many non-kosher joints and restaurants open on Shabbat? Most likely.
Thank you, Steve. The U.S. immigration process and laws have needed change for over 30 years. Migrants seeking asylum today will see added to their numbers others affected adversely by climate change. In the not so distant future, the flow of humankind to safety will increase and procedures have to change to reach a new equilibrium for peace, stability, hope, and progress.
I absolutely agree with you. But it will be a difficult adjustment for citizens of the wealthier countries to accept the implications of this evolving reality. It is easier to blame a political rival rather than forces out of our control.
Beautiful! I enjoyed the read and your perspective. Happy birthday 🎂🎈
Happy Birthday and thank you for this thoughtful post. Honestly, I feel we are a better nation for welcoming those who want to come, contribute, and seek refuge. Can you perhaps share with us some groups that are working to support these immigrants and working towards policy change.
Also, how do I see the picture you are referencing from 2017?
Hey Karen, you see the photo if you go to the website. Most people probably don't see the photo, but I'm obliged to put the credit for the right to use them. I don't know of any groups personally, but Columbia U has a guide of immigration NGOs, some of which engage in policy: https://guides.library.columbia.edu/c.php?g=709736&p=5071341
Happy Birthday, Dr. Klein!
What proportion of the population should be allowed become to new immigrants? The original idea of this state was for it to be a home for wandering Jews, who at last could come to a fitting and internationally acceptable home, and not for this land to provide a haven for non-Jews from badly governed countries, as an escape from persecution. Have our principles changed?
That is a challenging question. Ideally all countries are pulling their weight. Canada has done very well accepting 1.3% of its population. If Israel did just that, prioritizing Jewish immigration, that would mean taking in between 30,000-80,000 non-Jews, a number that would hardly make a dent in the Jewish character of the country. Note that Israel has already accepted 400,000 non-Jews from the former Soviet Union without jeopardizing its Jewish character. Plus, many of these immigrants would be taking jobs now filled by the current migrant system, which is very inefficient, and their children would be contributing to the defense of the country.
The influx of the Russian Jews has definitely influenced the character of our land. How many non-kosher Russian-speaking shops are there selling pork, shell-fish and other similar products than their almost equivalent kosher food ones? In my town of perhaps 250,000 souls, there are an easy number of 9 shops of this kind.
I agree with you on a local level, but I don't see it affecting the Jewish character of the state on a national level: the national celebrations, the laws, the symbols. So perhaps the term "Jewish character" is somewhat ambiguous, and we have different things in mind when we hear that term.
I see a general trend in Israel to have more non-kosher restaurants and business open on Shabbat, which non-Jewish Russian speakers are a part of but also includes Jewish Russian speakers. I've known several of those who also love pork products. There are also a lot of non-kosher places that have opened in the wake of the permanent presence of non-Jewish migrant workers. So this phenomenon can happen even without granting citizenship. And even if non-Jewish olim were banned, I don't see the state turning away non-Jewish migrant workers or Halakhically Jewish Russian immigrants giving up their non-kosher way of life.
What you are writing is that the influence of the Russian immigrants is turning our country into a less kosher-observing one than before, that is still Jewish. Since many of us are non-orthodox but still prefer to follow some of the commandments and laws of our Jewish faith, it apparently is OK for less care be given to them by the Russians. This is because they too are Jewish, so that by coming to live here, what they do remains typical of the average of all the Jews, even though it is not average of the typical older olim and long-time residents.
I wouldn't put it quite that way, rather I'd say that the Russian immigrants are contributing to a general trend of less observance, but they aren't the ones driving it. There is a trend of secularization across Europe and North America, regardless of immigration trends. In my view, this is a case where correlation doesn't equal causation. Plus, we don't know what Israel would look like without immigration from the FSU. Would there be as many pork shops? Probably not. But would there be nearly as many non-kosher joints and restaurants open on Shabbat? Most likely.
Happy Birthday, Steve. Another tough/contentious topic. Thanks for sharing the stories and making it real for us.
Happy birthday. its wonderful topic.
Great commentary, Steve, with insights for the North American experience.