Recently it became known that Germany plans to impose restrictions on the entry of Russian Jews. Then it became clear that the German authorities plan to essentially close the Jewish emigration channel not only from the republics of the former Union, but generally from Eastern European countries. Thus, the Germans are practically abandoning a policy that over more than ten years allowed one of the largest and fastest-growing Jewish communities in Europe to be created in Germany. The history of the emergence of the FRG's favorable policy on the entry of persons of Jewish nationality is well known; its origins lie in World War II, during which the Nazis destroyed a huge number of Jews not only in Germany itself, but also beyond its borders.
It is reported that the corresponding law will be published this month, and the new rules should come into force in a year – from January 2006. The initiators of these innovations believe that restrictions on the entry of Jews from the East into Germany will save money for the German budget, which has recently forced the country's native residents to significantly "tighten their belts".
In addition, there are fears that the emergence of too large a Jewish community in Germany could cause a rise in anti-Semitic sentiments in society. There is also a third reason for introducing restrictions, which is not customary to speak openly about in Germany, but which in importance may overshadow the first two. It concerns the fact that the emigration channel is increasingly being used by unscrupulous people and criminal elements who have nothing to do with Jews by nationality.
Under the new laws, Eastern Jews over the age of 45 will not be allowed to come to Germany for permanent residence. The same applies to those who live on unemployment benefits or social benefits. Future emigrants will have to provide a special certificate issued by the local Jewish community confirming their nationality. Germany will invite only wealthy and young Jews.
Jewish religious communities in Germany, destroyed by the Nazis, began to revive vigorously after the country's reunification. According to available estimates, over the past decade over 150 thousand Jews from the East came to the FRG to live – the vast majority from Russia and Ukraine, although in 1989 only 30 thousand Jews lived in Germany. It must be said that these people made a great contribution to the revival of Jewish culture in the country, and the Germans did a lot to make them feel at ease here. The authorities organized German language instruction for emigrants, they are paid benefits until they find work, and are even taught Jewish religious rites.
However, after a certain time, the authorities began to dislike the fact that the Jewish community was growing too quickly. This year, the number of Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union who arrived in Germany reached 9,400 people, which is a thousand more than those who left for Israel during the same time. Such an excess occurred for the first time in many years, which made the authorities think seriously.
Given that emigrants of Jewish nationality receive benefits from the state and are in a more privileged position than other categories of migrants, anti-Semitic sentiments are growing in society, sometimes turning into violence, which the German population has not known for a long time. One of the characteristic episodes that received great resonance occurred four years ago in Düsseldorf. There, unknown persons detonated a homemade bomb, intending to kill Russian Jews returning from German language courses. As for hooligan antics, their frequency even according to official statistics has a noticeable tendency to increase. There have also been desecrations of Jewish graves and synagogues.
Leaders of the Jewish community in Germany assess the situation differently; they are concerned about information on the adoption of the new immigration law. The new law, in their opinion, will make obtaining a German visa practically inaccessible for Russian-speaking immigrants. According to the new law, Jews wishing to become German citizens must be directly invited by one of the country's Jewish communities, rather than directly applying for a visa at German consulates. It is expected that Jewish immigrants should be no older than 45, have knowledge of the German language, and not rely on social assistance. The federal government is currently discussing these issues with the Central Council of Jewish Communities in Germany.
When in 1991 Germany announced the possibility of emigration to the country through the "Jewish channel", the point was to compensate for Nazi atrocities in this way. The calculating Germans chose this method of compensation because they understood – why spend huge amounts of money on compensations to people from other countries when they can be accepted in one's own country. After all, in this case, the funds paid to them would remain within the state and continue to work for the local economy.
But, apparently, this approach did not fully justify itself, since a significant part of the Jews moving to the FRG for permanent residence are elderly people. In the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, pensions are usually very modest, so elderly people go to Hamburg, Berlin, Munich in an effort to live out their last years with dignity. In addition, many of the younger immigrants are not particularly active and prefer to live on unemployment benefits for as long as possible. According to German media, the Jewish community in Berlin is experiencing financial difficulties, since more than 75% of those who arrived live on unemployment benefits.
And another thing. Over the last decade in the CIS countries, those who were not of Jewish nationality but cherished the hope of living in the West also followed the emigration rules. The "Jewish channel" became a lifesaver for such people. Methods were developed fairly quickly to help such people emigrate to Germany almost unimpeded, being Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar by blood, and so on, but by no means Jewish. For this, it was enough, for example, to enter into a fictitious marriage with a person of Jewish nationality who was going to emigrate, and go to Germany together with him as a spouse. A few years after obtaining citizenship, a divorce is formalized, and the former husband and wife are free people. The Jew receives decent money for this from the non-Jew, and the non-Jew receives permanent residence in the West.
It must be said that these methods gave rise to a specific business where experienced people, for money, found couples for emigration – engaging in a kind of original matchmaking. Sometimes even solid non-Jewish families with children left for Germany this way, but they had to first fictitiously divorce in the East, then find a Jewish half for marriage and just as fictitiously enter into marriage.
They say that illegal mixed Russian-German and Ukrainian-German firms existed and, apparently, still exist, providing assistance in solving the problem of non-Jewish emigration. It is logical to assume that criminal elements also used such methods, arranging fake documents for themselves or "buying" Jewish origin. One must think that the introduction of the new law will put an end to this.