The Israeli government is also concerned about the assimilation of the Jewish population in Russia and the CIS countries. 'Within one generation, there may be no Jews left in these republics, as the assimilation rate is 80%,' noted Ehud Olmert. In Jewish tradition, nationality is passed through the maternal line, so children from mixed marriages where the mother is Russian and the father is Jewish are not considered Jews in Israel. However, under the Law of Return, they have the right to repatriate to Israel.
At any moment, according to the Jewish Agency 'Sokhnut', between 900 thousand and 1.5 million residents of the CIS can take advantage of this right. However, according to Israeli media, most of them do not plan to go anywhere. 'Jewish life is thriving, with constant meetings, evenings, discussions. Why should we leave here if we can just go to Israel on vacation?' rhetorically ask representatives of the youth Jewish community in a conversation with a correspondent of 'Vremya Novostey'. Indeed, the number of Russian-speaking Jews arriving for permanent residence in Israel is declining every year. In 2001, 34 thousand repatriates from the former USSR arrived in the country, while in 2007 there were only 6.7 thousand.
The CIS countries, especially Russia, are developing at an amazing speed today. It is more interesting there, often with more opportunities and more money. In Israel, however, payments to new repatriates and benefits to single-parent families have been cut in recent years, making absorption, that is, adaptation in the country, practically impossible,' noted Knesset member Marina Solodkina from the ruling Kadima party in a conversation with a journalist. Every new repatriate arriving in Israel has a number of benefits, including paid education and assistance with rental housing. During the first six months in Israel, newcomers receive a monthly allowance of about $400 per person. But often this money is the only income, and it is practically impossible to live on it.
The Israeli government decided to combat the declining pace of immigration using the traditional method of increasing the budget allocated for the adaptation of new arrivals. According to ministers, this will allow newcomers to better learn Hebrew and find suitable jobs. In addition, the opening of a 'House of Israel' in Moscow is planned, whose staff will be tasked with maintaining the connection of Russian-speaking Jews with Judaism. But according to Marina Solodkina, the measures proposed by the government will not significantly increase the number of people arriving in Israel: 'For people to actually start coming again, we need to understand the issue and take effective measures, not just increase the budget.'
Well, Russian-speaking Israelis, who for now are not going anywhere from Israel, recall a local saying: 'If the government remembered us, it means elections are coming soon.' The Russian-speaking community makes up about one million out of Israel's seven million population. The country's prime minister currently faces three criminal investigations, so many Israelis are convinced that parliamentary elections will take place before 2010 – the end of Olmert's term. To win over the votes of Russian-speaking voters, Israeli politicians only need to remember their existence, promise to solve their problems – or simply raise the issue of encouraging Jewish immigration from Russia and the CIS countries.