Immigrant Tidal Wave

The immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel has gained rapid momentum. About 185,000 arrived in 1990, and it is expected that the total will swell to more than a million by 1993. Before this intake Israel's population was 4.8 millions, so the additional million represent a phenomenal increase of about twenty per cent.

The significance of this can hardly be overestimated. For the Zionist ideal of "Greater Israel" envisages Jewish possession of ancient Galilee and Samaria, often referred to today as the "West Bank" occupied territory'. Zionists had feared that Jews would remain a minority in these areas because the Palestinian population was growing faster than the Jewish. The prospect of vast numbers of Soviet Jews entering the country' is seen to offer fresh hope of redressing the balance, and justifying Jewish occupation of "Greater Israel". The Palestinians of course feel threatened by the burgeoning Jewish population, which will make more difficult their struggle for an independent Palestinian State.

Another important effect of the arrival of so many Soviet Jews is to increase the proportion of European as distinct from Oriental Jews in Israel. This will affect the nation's political and religious balance. For most of the in-coming Soviet Jews are "non observant", a term indicating that they

do not observe the religious traditions which are so important to Orthodox Jewry. This may well affect the Orthodox religious parties. which have in recent years exerted a political influence quite out of proportion to their numbers. Feeling threatened by the entrance to Israel of so many "non observant" Jews from the Soviet Union, one ultra-orthodox rabbi has alleged that thirty-five per cent of them are not really Jewish; a view which is discounted by most in Israel.

The two main rival political parties in Israel both hope that their respective positions will be strengthened when the newcomers are eligible to vote - one year after their admission to the country'. Moderate politicians such as Shimon Peres think that the nation's larger population will make Israelis more confident that, even if some occupied territories are given up. security will be assured by a larger defence force. In contrast Yatzik Shamir's Likud Party hope that the greatly strengthened nation will be in a position to resist all international pressures to yield territory in favour of a Palestinian State. It remains to be seen how the new immigrants will react, but a major swing in either direction could be decisive in resolving which course Israel will take.

Meanwhile the problem of assimilating the vast number of immigrants is proving difficult. The Shamir government seems to have failed to cope adequately with the housing, employment and social adjustments involved. At Israel's Ministry of Absorption Office in Jerusalem one family had to wait their turn for four successive days to have their papers processed. Seemingly this is a typical case; the bureaucracy has been overwhelmed.

As to housing there are plans to buy thirty-three thousand mobile homes, and to provide temporary accommodation at army camps for one hundred thousand new arrivals; but it will take a long time to ensure more permanent housing.

On the employment front, about forty per cent of the Soviet immigrants are highly skilled in engineering, medicine and science, but openings at universities and medical centres are limited. Many well qualified people

are for the time being forced to take menial jobs.

The high cost of assimilating the Soviet immigrants imposes heavy demands on the whole Israeli nation. The ultimate cost is expected to exceed forty billion dollars. The 1991 budget allocates 6.15 billion dollars for "absorption" of Soviet Jews; this is almost as much as is given to defence. To help meet these costs there is a five per cent income-tax surcharge and a two per cent increase in value added tax. Many Israelis already have to pay about one third of their income in taxation, so the increases are indeed penalizing.

As Christian observers we watch these remarkable developments among God's ancient people, a people which has stumbled in its rejection of the Lord Jesus. Meantime Hosea's prophetic word obtains: "They shall abide many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice" (Hosea 3:4). But they have not been stumbled so as to fall beyond recovery' (Rom. 11:11 NIV). Hosea continues:

"Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall come with fear unto the LORD and to His goodness in the latter days" (Hos. 3:5).

unknown | May 1991
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