"The climate in the Czech Republic is wonderful - mild, and importantly, with changing seasons. Prices are even more pleasant, the political climate is calm. An apartment not far from Prague can easily be bought for $7-10 thousand. For people from the former USSR, the Czech language is close. The Czech Republic is about to join the EU. What more is needed! For now I will buy an apartment for my parents, move them here away from the war. And then, look, I will move myself. But for now I will earn in Israel, there are more opportunities," - this is how Israelis who drop into the editorial office of the Czech newspaper "Деловая Прага" usually say.
According to Czech statistics, the number of Israelis who not only want to obtain a residence permit, but also try to prove their European origin in order to restore their previous citizenship, is steadily growing, reports the CTK agency. This primarily concerns Poland, as well as the Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary. According to AP, in 2002, applications for Czech citizenship were submitted 75% more than in 2001. This is confirmed by the Czech consul in Tel Aviv, Ivana Zuntova. Last year, 150 applicants received Czech passports.
According to the Czech diplomat, the consulate manages to process 25 applications per week. The entire process of obtaining Czech citizenship - from proving the origin of one's relatives to obtaining a passport - takes from two to three years. The applicant pool consists mainly of children and grandchildren of those people who once moved to their ancestors' homeland. According to them, the main reasons for moving are the future membership of the Czech Republic in the EU and the associated opportunities for entrepreneurship and education throughout Europe.
Ivana Zuntova does not believe that Israelis are preparing for a mass move due to the war with Iraq. When making the final decision, family ties in Israel will outweigh. The AP agency reports that long queues grow daily in front of the Polish and German embassies. The Polish embassy, which previously processed several dozen applications a year, now receives an average of 400 applications a day.
A sociologist from the University of Haifa, Oz Almog, warns that the immigration of even a few thousand Israeli intellectuals undermines the potential of a country with a population of just under seven million. To bring about the end of the state, it is not necessary for the majority of its citizens to emigrate; it is enough that the most capable, the elite, leave.
Israel experienced its last most notable exodus in the mid-60s, before the Middle East crisis of 1967. The country was then threatened by political, economic and military collapse, and Arab countries were concentrating armies on its borders. A sad joke of that time comes to mind: a sign at the international Israeli airport: "The last one out, please turn off the lights."
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