"A Jew is not a nationality, but a means of transportation." This joke, which circulated back in Soviet times among "brides for export", has lost some of its relevance in recent years. There is no longer a "family reunification" clause in the United States, under which third cousins once removed were reunited with never-before-seen grand-nephews, and emigration to Israel turned out to be a risky business: the country is fighting terror while also experiencing an economic crisis... The nationality "Jew" on the "commercial marriage" market could have completely lost its attractiveness, were it not for Germany - until recently, the FRG accepted Jews for "permanent residence" relatively simply. However, with the entry into force of the new law "On Immigration", it seems that the procedure for accepting Jews from CIS countries will change here as well.
Since 1991, when the federal government of Germany together with the cabinets of ministers of the German states decided to accept Jews, about 160,000 people (with family members - about 200,000) have come to the FRG. Religious Jews from the former USSR literally revived community life here from the ashes: without them, the 89 communities belonging to the Central Council of Jews in Germany (CCJG) would have only 12,653 members instead of 102,472. However, the flip side of this coin is that the newcomers represent a serious integration problem both for the German state and for the Jewish community, which can no longer cope with such a powerful influx of immigrants. Therefore, the participants in the ongoing negotiations between representatives of Jewish communities in Germany and officials of the German Interior Ministry will have to decide: how many more Jews from the CIS can come to Germany?
German state officials are very cautious on this topic: none of the documents mention the concepts of "reducing the influx" or "restricting the right of entry", but in fact that is exactly what is being discussed. German Interior Minister Otto Schily justifies his actions with a single figure: according to the Federal Statistical Office, between 60% and 85% of Jewish immigrants depend on social assistance. "The reasons for this are insufficient knowledge of the German language, unrecognized certificates and diplomas, as well as a high percentage of elderly immigrants - about 40% are over 50 years old," said State Secretary of the German Interior Ministry Fritz Rudolf Körper.
In reality, this percentage is even higher. In principle, among the total mass of Jews leaving the CIS countries, the vast majority of young and active people choose the United States as their goal (mainly these are newly minted graduates of technical and natural science universities, as well as enterprising people aiming for financial success) or Israel (this is where the politically engaged and those who are not afraid of everyday difficulties go). But socially developed Germany gets those who are looking for a quiet life.
On January 1, 2005, the new law "On Immigration" came into force in the FRG - accordingly, the special legal regulation of the "Jewish line" has lost its force. The German state submitted four new rules for Jewish immigration to the CCJG for consideration.
First, the candidate must prove at the German embassy that he or she or one of his or her parents is Jewish, and the birth certificates must be issued no later than 1991 (later documents, as accumulated experience shows, turn out to be forgeries in 95 cases out of 100). Second, pass a German language exam. Third, obtain in advance the written consent of one of the Jewish communities in Germany to accept the immigrant into its ranks. The fourth and main condition is the following: in the future, Germany intends to accept only those Jews from whom it can be expected that they will not need state material support - at least not on a long-term basis.
It should be recalled that the "exodus from the East" costs the FRG a great deal. And if during the economic prosperity of Helmut Kohl's time Germans could still afford to fork out not only for a hundred thousand or two Jews, but also for a million or two Russian Germans, as well as for several million Turks and Arabs, then in the days of the deepest crisis named after Gerhard Schröder, there was no money left for this. The first to feel this were German immigrants, now it is the turn of the Jews.
However, the social vulnerability of people from the CIS is no less a problem for the Central Council of Jews in Germany. If immigrants are unable to take care of themselves, if the state cannot help them, then naturally this care falls on the shoulders of the communities. Are they able to take it on? Large Jewish communities, such as Frankfurt or Munich, with developed infrastructure and a large number of working members, are capable (albeit to a certain extent). This cannot be said of small-town communities.
A typical Jewish community in a provincial German town consists of one or two rented rooms, at most a floor, which simultaneously serve as a synagogue, meeting hall, lounge, and space for various interest groups and study groups. The rabbi conducts services here once or twice a week - there are few rabbis, and they constantly have to travel from one community to another. Ninety percent of such a community consists of people from CIS countries who, before their arrival in Germany, knew little about Jewish traditions, religion, and customs.
70% of community members are people of pre-retirement or retirement age, for whom the state does not pay for language courses, so they learn German right there, in the community. The average age of "students" in such groups is 70 years. The vast majority of them hold Soviet diplomas and academic degrees, yet the language comes to them with difficulty despite all their efforts - age... They communicate with each other in Russian, switching to sporadic German only after another reminder from the teacher: "Let's speak German!"
Their children at least have the opportunity to study the language for six months on state courses, but many of their hopes for work in Germany later crumble against the problem of diploma recognition - immigrants got their professions in the CIS countries and do not know German specifics. Engineers, teachers - a large part of their knowledge is either completely inapplicable in new conditions, or simply outdated. Chances are only for young people - those who receive certificates and diplomas already in Germany. However, young people are mostly not interested in religious matters and often prefer to leave the community - so as not to pay the community tax.
The financial resources of such small Jewish communities are small. They receive 10-20 thousand euros a year from the state, 4-5 thousand from registered members in the form of contributions, and some more money comes in the form of donations and support from international Jewish organizations - that's all. Half of this money, as a rule, goes to rent for premises, another third to a quarter - to pay utility bills. From the remaining funds, travel expenses for rabbis are paid (partially), maintenance (at least half-time) of a social worker who helps elderly people go through offices and write official papers, expenses for religious services... It is clear that such a community is simply unable to take on the support of new immigrants.
The leaders of the Central Council of Jews in Germany are aware of this, and therefore in the question of who and on what conditions can now come to Germany "on the Jewish line", a truly Solomonic decision was made: those 27 thousand people who submitted their applications before the end of 2004, but have not yet received an official answer, have the right to come "the old way", and everyone else will now be subject to the new rules. Paul Spiegel, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, says: "I can understand the state, which is not interested in an influx of potential recipients of social assistance."
Many leaders of the Central Council of Jews in Germany believe that now all efforts should be focused on modernizing several large communities along the American model: open Jewish centers in big cities, with schools and restaurants, cinemas and gyms - and all this should be accessible to everyone, not just Jews.
"If out of 89 communities, 40 will still be working in 20 years, we can consider ourselves lucky," Spiegel believes. "I think the numbers from 10 to 15 are more realistic. And even those 15 are unlikely to survive without a radical restructuring. And then it will turn out that, despite the sweat shed and efforts expended, the only things that will remind people in Germany of Jews will be the Jewish Museum and the Memorial to the Victims of the Holocaust."