I Condemn Foreign Ministry Workers For Ending Aliyah Indefinitely

I strongly condemn the Foreign Ministry Workers for ending Aliyah indefinitely. You have gone too far and lost my sympathy.

The Foreign Ministry workers have been striking for over five months now and for good reason. I have supported their struggle but this week they decided to go too far and stopped issuing visas to people that are about to make Aliyah. The decision to end Aliyah indefinitely is leaving hundreds of future immigrants stranded in their home countries.

I feel that there are red lines and they’ve crossed them. This action is extreme and I expect they will lose public support over this. Whatever they are fighting for is not worth the damage they are causing. I’d rather have Aliyah over a Foreign Ministry any day of the week.

Jewish Agency director of Aliya Yehuda Sharf told the Jerusalem Post: “We are very concerned that olim may suffer financial damages, as many of them have already made plans and sold their property. There are others who have arranged to start new jobs or registered for educational courses. There are even those who have been assigned a call-up date to the Israel Defense Forces.”

Nefesh B’Nefesh’s Tani Kramer told the Post that while “we understand and respect the need of the Foreign Ministry’s employees to their arrangements and their benefits,” their efforts to improve their lot should not “be done on the back of new olim.”

Foreign Workers Union Chief Yair Frommer told the Post he agrees with critics of the strike that “aliya is crucial for the State of Israel” and that immigration is “one of the most important elements in Israeli policy toward the Diaspora and Israeli identity”. – But the strike will still go on.

Jeremy Saltan