Israel's Racial Purity Laws

Israel's Racial Purity Laws

This is a study file of articles published mostly by Jews about Jewish separatism whereby Jews seek to keep their own race pure. The irony is that their leaders seek all other races to intermix and such Jewish groups as the ADL and ACLU have expressed some of this irony from time to time.

"Jewish Majority Vital for Israel's Future"
The Australian Jewish News
May 9, 2006
http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=525

JERUSALEM - Safeguarding Israel’s Jewish majority must be a national priority, according to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “We must ensure that the State of Israel has a definite Jewish majority, or otherwise the notion of a Jewish state will become void,” the Israeli prime minister said on Monday during a Knesset address in memory of Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl. Olmert, like his predecessor Ariel Sharon, has justified his plan to quit parts of the West Bank by invoking the demographic threat posed by growing number of Arabs.

 

"Changing Israel's Marriage Law"
The Jewish Week of Greater New York
April 4, 2006
http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editletcontent.php3?artid=4987 {BELOW}

Non-Orthodox Jewish couples are forced to submit to an Orthodox marriage ceremony with an Orthodox rabbi and are compelled to attend classes on family purity. No Israeli may marry outside her faith community. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens from the former Soviet Union who are not Jewish or whose Jewish ancestry is in doubt are unable to marry at all inside Israel. And more women every year are chained to men they wish to divorce but who will not give them the get required by Jewish law.
Despite these problems, Israel’s Religious Zionist and haredi communities insist that holding on to the marriage reins is necessary for Jewish continuity. If Jews are allowed to marry outside Orthodox parameters, they say, a “split in the nation” will result.
There are two related worries: intermarriage and illegitimacy. Children of marriages forbidden by Jewish law, or halacha (for example, unions between a kohen and a divorcee, between close relatives, or between a man and a previously married woman who did not undergo a halachic divorce) are considered mamzerim. They and their offspring, stigmatized with an irrevocable brand of illegitimacy, may marry only other mamzerim. A split in the nation, the argument goes, will follow: mamzerut will increase dramatically and it will be difficult to keep track of mamzerim to ensure they do not wed non-mamzer Jews. 

 

On Problems of Jewish Intermarriage & Loss of Jewish Identity
Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith
March 4, 2005
http://www.adl.org/ADL_Opinions/Israel/JewishWeek_030405.htm {BELOW}

Let's be honest. We are losing the battle of Jewish identity. Intermarriage is growing. There is a lot of ignorance. Two generations of Jews in America have passed without their being taught to be Jews. .... A stronger Israel working with American Jews on this challenge cannot only make each stronger, but will reinforce the deep ties that bind us one to the other.

Israel's Marriage Law
Znet Magazine
August 2, 2003
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=3989 {BELOW}

Israel's Parliament has passed a law preventing Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in Israel. The move was denounced by human rights organisations as racist, undemocratic and discriminatory. Under the new law, rushed through yesterday, Palestinians alone will be excluded from obtaining citizenship or residency. Anyone else who marries an Israeli will be entitled to Israeli citizenship. Now Israeli Arabs who marry Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza Strip will either have to move to the occupied territories, or live apart from their husband or wife. Their children will be affected too: from the age of 12 they will be denied citizenship or residency and forced to move out of Israel.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch sent a joint letter to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, urging members to reject the bill. "The draft law barring family reunification for Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens is profoundly discriminatory," Amnesty said in a statement. "A law permitting such blatant racial discrimination, on grounds of ethnicity or nationality, would clearly violate international human rights law and treaties which Israel has ratified and pledged to uphold." B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, joined in the criticism of the law. Yael Stein, a spokesman, said: "This is a racist law that decides who can live here according to racist criteria."
Some Israelis believe they are sitting on a demographic time bomb, with an Israeli Arab community, already 20 per cent of the population, growing faster than the Jewish population. The discrimination is not only against Palestinians, according to human rights groups, but against Israel's own 1.2 million citizens of Palestinian origin as well. The overwhelming majority of Israelis who marry Palestinians are the so-called Israeli Arabs - Palestinians who live in Israel and have Israeli citizenship.

"This bill blatantly discriminates against Israelis of Palestinian origin and their Palestinian spouses," said Hanny Megally of Human Rights Watch. "It's scandalous that the Government has presented this bill, and it's shocking that the Knesset is rushing it through." The government pushed the vote through at speed, even agreeing to consider it a vote of confidence to get it through. It was passed by 53 votes to 25, with one abstention. Gideon Ezra, a cabinet minister, said: "This law comes to address a security issue. Since September 2000 we have seen a significant connection, in terror attacks, between Arabs from the West Bank and Gaza and Israeli Arabs." Since 1993, more than 100,000 Palestinians have become Israeli citizens through marriage, Mr Ezra said. But B'Tselem pointed out that only 20 of those 100,000 have been involved in suicide bombings or other militant attacks.

See: Israel's Racist Marriage Law
Jeff Rense Information Archive
August, 7, 2003
http://www.rense.com/general39/isrnewlaw.htm
"The State of Israel practices racism and discrimination in its laws towards the Arab population since before imposing the racist marriage law which was passed by the Parliament on the 13 July 2003. The Israeli Parliament voted to block Palestinians who marry Israelis from becoming Israeli citizens or residents, erecting a new legal barrier as Israel finished the first section of a new physical barrier against Palestinians West Bank." http://www.rense.com/general39/isrnewlaw.htm
 

The Jewish Ezra Marriage Covenant with God: Never Marry Gentiles
Book of Ezra (B), Chapter 10, Holy Bible
EZRA 10, Bible Gateway

Ezra Announces the Sin of Inter-Marriage Must End...

¹ While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites-men, women and children-gathered around him. They too wept bitterly. ² Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. ³ Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law. ⁴ Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it."

⁵ So Ezra rose up and put the leading priests and Levites and all Israel under oath to do what had been suggested. And they took the oath. ⁶ Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
⁷ A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem. ⁸ Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

Men of Judah and Benjamin Meet, Agree to Send Away their Foreign Gentile Wives and Only to Marry Jewish Women in the Future

⁹ Within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain. ¹⁰ Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt. ¹¹ Now make confession to the LORD , the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives."
¹² The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: "You are right! We must do as you say.

¹³ But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing. ¹⁴ Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us." ¹⁵ Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.

¹⁶ So the exiles did as was proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family division, and all of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the cases, ¹⁷ and by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Guilty of Intermarriage

¹⁸ Among the descendants of the priests, the following had married foreign women:

From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. ¹⁹ (They all gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt they each presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.)
 

²⁰ From the descendants of Immer:
Hanani and Zebadiah.
²¹ From the descendants of Harim:
Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah.
²² From the descendants of Pashhur:
Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.

²³ Among the Levites:

Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
²⁴ From the singers:
Eliashib.
From the gatekeepers:
Shallum, Telem and Uri.

²⁵ And among the other Israelites:

From the descendants of Parosh:
Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah and Benaiah.
²⁶ From the descendants of Elam:
Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah.
²⁷ From the descendants of Zattu:
Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza.
²⁸ From the descendants of Bebai:
Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.
²⁹ From the descendants of Bani:
Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth.
³⁰ From the descendants of Pahath-Moab:
Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh.
³¹ From the descendants of Harim:
Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, ³² Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah.
³³ From the descendants of Hashum:
Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei.
³⁴ From the descendants of Bani:
Maadai, Amram, Uel, ³⁵ Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, ³⁶ Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, ³⁷ Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasu.
³⁸ From the descendants of Binnui: ^[1]
Shimei, ³⁹ Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, ⁴⁰ Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, ⁴¹ Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, ⁴² Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.
⁴³ From the descendants of Nebo:
Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.

⁴⁴ All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives. ^[2]

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 ^{ΕΣΔΡΑΣ Β 10}

 <sup>ΚΑΙ ὡς προσηύξατο ῎Εσδρας καὶ ὡς ἐξηγόρευσε κλαίων καὶ προσευχόμενος ἐνώπιον οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ, συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπὸ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐκκλησία πολλὴ σφόδρα, ἄνδρες καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ νεανίσκοι, ὅτι ἔκλαυσαν ὁ λαὸς καὶ ὕψωσε κλαίων. 2 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Σεχενίας υἱὸς ᾿Ιεὴλ ἀπὸ υἱῶν ᾿Ηλάμ, καὶ εἶπε τῷ ῎Εσδρᾳ· ἡμεῖς ἠσυνθετήσαμεν τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν καὶ ἐκαθίσαμεν γυναῖκας ἀλλοτρίας ἀπὸ τῶν λαῶν τῆς γῆς· καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ὑπομονὴ τῷ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐπὶ τούτῳ. 3 καὶ νῦν διαθώμεθα διαθήκην τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν ἐκβαλεῖν πάσας τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ γενόμενα ἐξ αὐτῶν, ὡς ἂν βούλη· ἀνάστηθι, καὶ φοβέρισον αὐτοὺς ἐν ἐντολαῖς Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὡς ὁ νόμος γενηθήτω. 4 ἀνάστα, ὅτι ἐπὶ σὲ τὸ ρῆμα, καὶ ἡμεῖς μετὰ σοῦ· κραταιοῦ καὶ ποίησον. 5 καὶ ἀνέστη ῎Εσδρας καὶ ὥρκισε τοὺς ἄρχοντας, τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευίτας καὶ πάντα ᾿Ισραὴλ τοῦ ποιῆσαι κατὰ τὸ ρῆμα τοῦτο· καὶ ὤμοσαν. 6 καὶ ἀνέστη ῎Εσδρας ἀπὸ προσώπου οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐπορεύθη εἰς γαζοφυλάκιον ᾿Ιωανὰν υἱοῦ ᾿Ελισοὺβ καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἐκεῖ· ἄρτον οὐκ ἔφαγεν καὶ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἔπιεν, ὅτι ἐπένθει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσυνθεσίᾳ τῆς ἀποικίας. 7 καὶ παρήνεγκαν φωνὴν ἐν ᾿Ιούδᾳ καὶ ἐν ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ πᾶσι τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀποικίας τοῦ συναθροισθῆναι εἰς ῾Ιερουαλήμ, 8 πᾶς, ὃς ἂν μὴ ἔλθῃ εἰς τρεῖς ἡμέρας, ὡς ἡ βουλὴ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ἀναθεματισθήσεται πᾶσα ἡ ὕπαρξις αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς διασταλήσεται ἀπὸ ἐκκλησίας τῆς ἀποικίας. 9 Καὶ συνήχθησαν πάντες ἄνδρες ᾿Ιούδα καὶ Βενιαμὶν εἰς ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ εἰς τὰς τρεῖς ἡμέρας, οὗτος ὁ μὴν ὁ ἔνατος· ἐν εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνὸς ἐκάθισε πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐν πλατείᾳ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπὸ θορύβου αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ ρήματος καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος. 10 καὶ ἀνέστη ῎Εσδρας ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· ὑμεῖς ἠσυνθετήκατε καὶ ἐκαθίσατε γυναῖκας ἀλλοτρίας τοῦ προσθεῖναι ἐπὶ πλημμέλειαν ᾿Ισραήλ· 11 καὶ νῦν δότε αἴνεσιν Κυρίῳ Θεῷ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν καὶ ποιήσατε τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καὶ διαστάλητε ἀπὸ λαῶν τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων. 12 καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία καὶ εἶπαν· μέγα τοῦτο τὸ ρῆμά σου ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς ποιῆσαι· 13 ἀλλὰ ὁ λαὸς πολύς, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς χειμερινός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι δύναμις στῆναι ἔξω· καὶ τὸ ἔργον οὐκ εἰς ἡμέραν μίαν καὶ οὐκ εἰς δύο, ὅτι ἐπληθύναμεν τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι ἐν τῷ ρήματι τούτῳ. 14 στήτωσαν δὴ ἄρχοντες ἡμῶν πάσῃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐν πόλεσιν ἡμῶν, ὃς ἐκάθισε γυναῖκας ἀλλοτρίας, ἐλθέτωσαν εἰς καιροὺς ἀπὸ συνταγῶν καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτῶν πρεσβύτεροι πόλεως καὶ πόλεως καὶ κριταὶ τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι ὀργὴν θυμοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐξ ἡμῶν περὶ τοῦ ρήματος τούτου. 15 πλὴν ᾿Ιωνάθαν υἱὸς ᾿Ασαὴλ καὶ ᾿Ιαζίας υἱὸς Θεκωὲ μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ περὶ τούτου, καὶ Μεσολλὰμ καὶ Σαββαθαΐ ὁ Λευίτης βοηθῶν αὐτοῖς. 16 καὶ ἐποίησαν οὕτως υἱοὶ τῆς ἀποικίας. καὶ διεστάλησαν ῎Εσδρας ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ ἄνδρες ἄρχοντες πατριῶν τῷ οἴκῳ καὶ πάντες ἐν ὀνόμασιν, ὅτι ἐπέστρεψαν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ δεκάτου ἐκζητῆσαι τὸ ρῆμα. 17 καὶ ἐτέλεσαν ἐν πᾶσιν ἀνδράσιν, οἳ ἐκάθισαν γυναῖκας ἀλλοτρίας, ἕως ἡμέρας μιᾶς τοῦ μηνὸς τοῦ πρώτου.

18 Καὶ εὑρέθησαν ἀπὸ υἱῶν τῶν ἱερέων, οἳ ἐκάθισαν γυναῖκας ἀλλοτρίας· ἀπὸ υἱῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ υἱοῦ ᾿Ιωσεδὲκ καὶ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ Μαασία καὶ ᾿Ελιέζερ καὶ ᾿Ιαρὶβ καὶ Γαδαλία, 19 καὶ ἔδωκαν χεῖρα αὐτῶν τοῦ ἐξενέγκαι γυναῖκας ἑαυτῶν καὶ πλημμελείας κριὸν ἐκ προβάτων περὶ πλημμελήσεως αὐτῶν· 20 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν ᾿Εμμήρ, ᾿Ανανὶ καὶ Ζαβδία· 21 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν ᾿Ηράμ, Μασαὴλ καὶ ᾿Ελία καὶ Σαμαΐα καὶ ᾿Ιεὴλ καὶ ᾿Οζία· 22 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν Φασούρ, ᾿Ελιωναΐ, Μαασία καὶ ᾿Ισμαὴλ καὶ Ναθαναὴλ καὶ ᾿Ιωζαβὰδ καὶ ᾿Ηλασά· 23 καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν Λευιτῶν, ᾿Ιωζαβὰδ καὶ Σαμοὺ καὶ Κωλία (αὐτὸς Κωλίτας) καὶ Φεθεΐα καὶ ᾿Ιόδομ καὶ ᾿Ελιέζερ· 24 καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἆδόντων, ᾿Ελισάβ· καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πυλωρῶν, Σολμὴν καὶ Τελμὴν καὶ ᾿Ωδούθ· 25 καὶ ἀπὸ ᾿Ισραήλ· ἀπὸ υἱῶν Φόρος, Ραμία καὶ ᾿Αζία καὶ Μελχία καὶ Μεαμὶν καὶ ᾿Ελεάζαρ καὶ ᾿Ασαβία καὶ Βαναία· 26 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν ᾿Ηλάμ, Ματθανία καὶ Ζαχαρία καὶ ᾿Ιαϊὴλ καὶ ᾿Αβδία και ᾿Ιαριμὼθ καὶ ᾿Ηλία· 27 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν Ζαθονά, ᾿Ελιωναΐ, ᾿Ελισούβ, Ματθαναΐ καὶ ᾿Αρμὼθ καὶ Ζαβὰδ καὶ ᾿Οζιζά· 28 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν Βαβεΐ, ᾿Ιωανάν, ᾿Ανανία, καὶ Ζαβοὺ καὶ Θαλί· 29 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν Βανουΐ, Μοσολλάμ, Μαλούχ, ᾿Αδαΐας, ᾿Ιασοὺβ καὶ Σαλουΐα καὶ Ρημώθ· 30 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν Φαὰθ Μωάβ, ᾿Εδνὲ καὶ Χαλὴλ καὶ Βαναία Μαασία Ματθανία Βεσελεὴλ καὶ Βανουΐ καὶ Μανασσῆ· 31 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν ᾿Ηράμ, ᾿Ελιέζερ, ᾿Ιεσία, Μελχία, Σαμαΐας, Συμεών, 32 Βενιαμίν, Βαλούχ, Σαμαρία· 33 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν ᾿Ασήμ, Μετθανία, Ματθαθά, Ζαδάβ, ᾿Ελιφαλέτ, ῾Ιεραμί, Μανασσῆ, Σεμεΐ· 34 καὶ ἀπὸ υἱῶν Βανί, Μοοδία, ᾿Αμράμ, Οὐήλ, 35 Βαναία, Βαδαία, Χελκία, 36 Οὐουανία, Μαριμώθ, ᾿Ελιασίφ, 37 Ματθανία, Ματθαναΐ καὶ ἐποίησαν 38 οἱ υἱοὶ Βανουὶ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Σεμεΐ 39 καὶ Σελεμία καὶ Νάθαν καὶ ᾿Αδαΐα, 40 Μαχαδναβού, Σεσεΐ, Σαριού, 41 ᾿Εζριὴλ καὶ Σελεμία καὶ Σαμαρία 42 καὶ Σελλούμ, ᾿Αμαρεία, ᾿Ιωσήφ· 43 ἀπὸ υἱῶν Ναβού, ᾿Ιαήλ, Ματθανίας, Ζαβάδ, Ζεββενάς, ᾿Ιαδαὶ καὶ ᾿Ιωὴλ καὶ Βαναία. 44 πάντες οὗτοι ἐλάβοσαν γυναῖκας ἀλλοτρίας καὶ ἐγέννησαν ἐξ αὐτῶν υἱούς.
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 ^ADL

Israel Should Invest In American Jewry
By Abraham H. Foxman
National Director of the Anti-Defamation League
This article originally appeared in New York Jewish Week on March 4, 2005

The issue of relations between Israel and the diaspora is continually evolving. On the structural level, there has emerged the proposal of Israeli President Moshe Katsav for a "Second House," a body parallel to the Knesset, consisting of diaspora and Israeli representatives, to address mutual concerns.

On a political level, the longstanding consensus that diaspora Jewry should strive to support the democratically elected government of Israel, whatever party is in power, is holding on but is being challenged more and more, sometimes from the right, sometimes from the left.

These efforts to change the nature of relations may or may not be useful. I believe, for example, that the principle of support for the government of Israel on security-related matters continues to be a vital concern and change should be resisted.

Where fundamental change is absolutely critical is in the traditional funding relationship. Of course, the question of allocation and targeting of monies raised by American Jews has been on the community's agenda for years. Sometimes the result has been less money to Israel, sometimes more. Various systems have been put in place as to where the money should go when it goes to Israel.

Still, these efforts have not addressed the dual challenge facing American Jewry: how to turn around the continuing diminution of the community through assimilation and intermarriage, and how to provide funding for Jewish education, the prime vehicle for re-establishing a strong Jewish identity.

Let's be honest. We are losing the battle of Jewish identity. Intermarriage is growing. There is a lot of ignorance.
Two generations of Jews in America have passed without their being taught to be Jews. When tikkun olam, "repairing the world," becomes the Jewish model instead of Im ein ani li, mi li?" "If I am not for myself, then who is for me?" then tikkun olam focuses on everybody else but me. 

But we can stop the bleeding. We can begin by calling on Israel to invest the money it receives on an annual basis from American Jews in Jewish education. Why recommend this roundabout way of bringing American Jewish money to bear on the problem we face at home? Because it is easier to raise money in the United States for Israel than for Jewish education.

Israel should say to diaspora Jewry: "Thank you. We want to reinvest your money to secure your future and our relationship. So for the next five years, the money that you raise for us we will reinvest in students coming to Israel, building schools, infrastructure and scholarships in America."

Let's say we're talking about $300 million a year, which comes to a billion-and-a-half dollars over five years. That is a significant sum of money for schools, scholarships and teachers. A certain amount — perhaps 30 percent — should be invested in programs to bring young Jews to Israel, initiatives such as birthright or Masa, the new Jewish Agency initiative.

We have developed the most exciting audio-visual Jewish identity program that anybody could dream of and it is called Israel. We know it works. This is the tourniquet. I believe that if 100 youngsters go to Israel, one-third will be Zionists forever, for one-third it won't matter, and one-third will be more connected to Israel. That is a pretty good investment for $5,000 a child.

The remaining 70 percent of the money should be invested in Jewish education in the United States, in expanding its infrastructure, in substantial tuition subsidies, and in paying teachers salaries that will attract the best and brightest. Today, only 29 percent of Jewish children attend private Jewish schools and yeshivas. A major reason for that is the cost, which can be up to $20,000 a child.

I am aware that this proposal will be resisted. Some in Israel will object because there are real social needs in Israel that are now addressed by these funds. I don't minimize their importance. But in the long run, reinvigorating American Jewish identity will be a tremendous source of strength to both communities.

A continuing vibrant American Jewish community will be a vital political and psychological asset to Israel in the years ahead, no matter what direction Middle East politics takes. And, self-evidently, for American Jews and our place in an ever-changing American society, keeping our young people as proud Jews is a sine qua non for effective community vitality.

Finally, this proposal will be beneficial to Israel-diaspora relations because it will more accurately reflect the substantial and real changes in both communities. Israel is long past the stage of being the poor cousin. Its move toward independence from American government economic aid is the key indicator of that. American Jewish priorities have shifted toward this need to preserve our community. A stronger Israel working with American Jews on this challenge cannot only make each stronger, but will reinforce the deep ties that bind us one to the other. n

Abraham H. Foxman is national director of the Anti-Defamation League and author of "Never Again? The Threat of the New Anti-Semitism."
 

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

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Israel's Marriage Law

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By Justin Huggler

Saturday, August 02, 2003

Justin Huggler's ZSpace Page

Israel's Parliament has passed a law preventing Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in Israel. The move was denounced by human rights organisations as racist, undemocratic and discriminatory.

Under the new law, rushed through yesterday, Palestinians alone will be excluded from obtaining citizenship or residency. Anyone else who marries an Israeli will be entitled to Israeli citizenship. Now Israeli Arabs who marry Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza Strip will either have to move to the occupied territories, or live apart from their husband or wife. Their children will be affected too: from the age of 12 they will be denied citizenship or residency and forced to move out of Israel.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch sent a joint letter to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, urging members to reject the bill. "The draft law barring family reunification for Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens is profoundly discriminatory," Amnesty said in a statement. "A law permitting such blatant racial discrimination, on grounds of ethnicity or nationality, would clearly violate international human rights law and treaties which Israel has ratified and pledged to uphold." B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organisation, joined in the criticism of the law. Yael Stein, a spokesman, said: "This is a racist law that decides who can live here according to racist criteria."

Some Israelis believe they are sitting on a demographic time bomb, with an Israeli Arab community, already 20 per cent of the population, growing faster than the Jewish population. The discrimination is not only against Palestinians, according to human rights groups, but against Israel's own 1.2 million citizens of Palestinian origin as well. The overwhelming majority of Israelis who marry Palestinians are the so-called Israeli Arabs - Palestinians who live in Israel and have Israeli citizenship.

"This bill blatantly discriminates against Israelis of Palestinian origin and their Palestinian spouses," said Hanny Megally of Human Rights Watch. "It's scandalous that the Government has presented this bill, and it's shocking that the Knesset is rushing it through."

The government pushed the vote through at speed, even agreeing to consider it a vote of confidence to get it through. It was passed by 53 votes to 25, with one abstention. Gideon Ezra, a cabinet minister, said: "This law comes to address a security issue. Since September 2000 we have seen a significant connection, in terror attacks, between Arabs from the West Bank and Gaza and Israeli Arabs." Since 1993, more than 100,000 Palestinians have become Israeli citizens through marriage, Mr Ezra said. But B'Tselem pointed out that only 20 of those 100,000 have been involved in suicide bombings or other militant attacks.

Human rights groups said security concerns could not justify the new law, which amounts to collective punishment. Noam Hoffstater, another spokesman for B'Tselem, said: "Those who voted for the bill and those who support it are making a very cynical use of security arguments to justify it, even though they used no data. This in fact was a cover for the real reason, which is the racist reason, the demographic reason." Many on Israel's right fear that it will be impossible to maintain Israel's identity as an officially Jewish state if the Arab sector becomes too large. "Today I lost hope," Sa'id abu Muammar, an Israeli Arab, told Reuters news agency. He has been hiding his Palestinian wife from the police since their marriage a year ago. "This is what we've been doing and this is probably what we will have to continue to do." 

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