World Jewry in Jeopardy of Israeli Bureaucracy

The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) has called on Israel to allow non-Israeli Jews to enter Israel and visit their families.

In a letter to MK Yisrael Eichler (UTJ), Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, CER's president, wrote: "We were happy to read about your initiative in the Knesset's Interior Committee to allow family from abroad to visit their elderly parents, after half a year in which they did not see each other due to this horrific plague."

"Indeed, as you said, there are elderly parents from abroad who want to see their children in Israel after half a year of lockdown between the countries, and they are not allowed to do so, since they do not hold Israeli passports, even though they are Jews and eligible to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return.

"We at the Conference of European Rabbis support you and hope that G-d will help your plan succeed, and you will be able to breach the walls of extraneous and selective bureaucracy, which prevents many parents from seeing their children, completely illogically."

Rabbi Goldschmidt added that at the same time, "people from other nations, from all continents, are allowed to enter [Israel] with the appropriate tests. Those same tests can be performed by Jews who are not Israeli citizens."

"May G-d help your words fall on listening ears and may you have the political power to do justice with those families who are suffering from longing," he concluded. arutzsheva

*Official update: Who can enter Israel and how?

Read and share: This is the updated policy of entry into Israel in wake of the coronavirus pandemic http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/283489

Pursuant to the decision of the Ministry of Interior and at the recommendation of the Ministry of Health, as part of the struggle with the Coronavirus pandemic, the entry of aliens into Israel is forbidden, excluding exceptions.

• Those who enter the state of Israel gates must sign an isolation form containing an obligation to a guidance for isolation of 14 days from the date of entry into Israel.
• A foreigner who leaves the country before the end of isolation with no special approval, violates the laws of the state of Israel and his next entry will not be approved.
• No boarding will be permitted without obtaining a preliminary approval from the Population and Immigration Authority.
• The entry of foreigners into Israel is subject to presentation of health insurance (including section covering the Coronavirus disease).
• In the event of discrepancy between the procedures of the Population Authority and the mitigations specified above, the prevailing decision will be in accordance with the Authority's procedures.

As follows are the cases in which the entry into Israel of foreigners will be approved, exceptionally and following examination:

1. A foreigner who is married to an Israeli citizen or a permanent resident (who are not under a step-by-step process) and their minor children, who comply with the following aggregate conditions:

• The marriage is registered with the Population Registry.
• The center of life of the spouses (in the year preceding the submission of application to enter into Israel or during the year 2019): If the Israeli stayed in Israel 180 days and the foreign spouse stayed in Israel 90 days at least, or if both spouses live abroad (meaning, they have not stayed in Israel as required in the previous articles) and the foreigner visited Israel during the three years preceding the application – the application will be submitted as required and after it is reviewed and approved, the foreigners will be allowed to enter.

In the event that the Israeli is in Israel and the foreigner is abroad, the application will be made through the attending bureau of the Population Authority.

In the event that the spouses stay abroad, the application will be made directly through the Israeli representativeness where the foreigner stays: https://go.gov.il/consularservices.

2. A foreigner staying abroad who is married to an Israeli citizen or to a permanent resident (who are under a step-by-step process), as well as their minor children – the foreigner and the minors will be allowed to enter, provided that the foreigner holds or held a B1, B2 or an A5 license by virtue of the step-by-step process.

• In the event that the Israeli is in Israel and the foreigner is abroad, the application will be made through the attending bureau of the Population Authority.
• In the event that the spouses stay abroad, the application will be made directly through the Israeli representativeness where the foreigner stays: https://go.gov.il/consularservices.
• The entry of minors who are not a part of the step-by-step process will not be allowed.

3. Minor children of parents whereas one of the parents is an Israeli citizen who lives in Israel and the other parent is an foreigner who lives abroad, and the children live abroad and carry foreign passports - In such cases, the child's entry to visit the Israeli parent, will be approved following presentation of the birth certificate, while it is original and duly verified (apostille), which proves the relation to the Israeli citizen and the signing of the foreign parent before the consul on a consent letter which approves the travel of the minor to Israel.

Application will be made directly through the Israeli representativeness where the foreigner stays: https://go.gov.il/consularservices, and as much as it is approved, the consul will issue a boarding pass.

A certification for exemption from apostilles, in unusual cases, will be given by the Chief of the Consular Section at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or her deputy.

The parent must procure to register the child within 90 days from the date of entry into Israel, in accordance with the law provisions.

4. Foreign students who began their studies in Israel and stay abroad – the application will be made by the academic institution rather than by the student, in accordance with the guidelines sent to the chiefs of the academic institutions.

5. Married Yeshiva Students who began their studies in Israel and stay abroad – application will be made by the Yeshiva where they study rather than by the Yeshiva students, in accordance with the guidelines sent to the Rosh Yeshivas.

6. Experts – the entry of a limited number of experts, who are defined as being necessary for national infrastructures and/or functional consecutiveness of the economy, will be allowed. The approval will be given subject to the recommendation of the relevant government ministry and with the approval of Foreign Workers Administration at the Population and Immigration Authority, as specified in the procedure (Procedure of Experts' Entry). Application will be made by the client, directly to the relevant government ministry and after obtaining the approval for the necessity of the foreign expert, it is required to apply online at the following address: https://www.gov.il/he/service/working_permit_for_foreign_workers.

7. Approval of exit of foreign experts for a homeland visit and their return to Israel – foreign experts who wish to fly for a homeland visit jointly with their relatives, holding a permit rendered for a year, their application to leave and return to Israel will be approved. The application for a reentry approval will be submitted by the expert with the Population Administration bureaus before he leaves Israel.

8. Artists, culture people and sportsmen – will be allowed to enter, subject to presentation of recommendation of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The application will be submitted to the bureaus of the Population and Immigration Authority by the ordering entity.

9. Volunteers in the field of welfare – the ordering organization will approach the relevant government ministry to get a professional recommendation for the entrance of foreign volunteers. The recommendation letter enclosed by a list of names of the invitees, will be delivered to the Population and Immigration Authority (tpop@piba.gov.il) for follow-up.

10. Medical tourism – applications will be submitted by the hospital manager directly to the Ministry of Health, which will transfer the application to the approval of the Population and Immigration Authority and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

11. Weddings – arrival at the wedding of Israeli citizens, permanent residents or foreigners, whose center of life is in Israel by law, will be approved for the foreign spouse if necessary and for first degree relatives, jointly with their spouses and their children (up to the age of one year). In addition, the grandfathers and the grandmothers of the groom and the bride will be allowed to enter. The application for entry will be made by approaching the Israeli representativeness where the applicant stays: https://go.gov.il/consularservices.

12. Bar/Bat Mitzvah – arrival at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah of an Israeli citizen will be approved for first degree relatives jointly with their spouses and children (up to the age of one year), as well as for grandfathers and grandmothers. The application will be made by approaching the Israeli representativeness where the applicant stays: https://go.gov.il/consularservices.

13. Births – arrival for a birth of a grandson/granddaughter will be approved for the grandfathers and the grandmothers of the grandson about a month prior to the estimated date of birth, up to one month following the date of birth. Application will be made by approaching the Israeli representativeness where the applicant stays: https://go.gov.il/consularservices.

14. Funerals – arrival at a funeral which is held in Israel, will be approved only for first degree relatives and their spouses.

15. Lone soldiers – arrival in order to visit a lone soldier will be approved for spouses, parents and siblings. The application for entry will be made by approaching the Israeli representativeness where the applicant stays: https://go.gov.il/consularservices, or through the attending bureau of the Population Authority.

All what has been stated about married people also applies to common-law spouses, proof of intimate relations will be made at the Israeli representativeness where the spouses stay or at the Population Administration bureaus in Israel, as the case may be.

*Is this to amend the Law of Return?? 

*Is this how they are planning to quell Aliyah??