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Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

URL: www.scjfaq.org/faq/14-01.html
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< Sect. 13 TOC Q14.2 >

Question 14.1:
Who is an Israeli and who may enter under her Law of Return?

Answer:

Israelis are citizens of Israel. Jews may automatically become Israeli citizens under the terms of the Law of Return (as long as they have not renounced the Jewish faith), as may those associated with Jews, such as certain close family members. The Law of Return does not grant immediate citizenship to Jews who, sadly, practice other religions. In the case of people whose status as Jews is uncertain, Israel will still rescue them, especially if they risk being killed as a result of Jew-hatred.

There have been efforts to amend the law of Return to exclude from automatic citizenship people whose conversions to Judaism would be unacceptable by Orthodox halachic standards. While this might only affect tens of people, it is an extremely sensitive issue.


The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place to start.

[Got Questions?]Hopefully, the FAQ will provide the answer to your questions. If it doesn't, please drop Email to questions@scjfaq.org. The FAQ maintainer will endeavor to direct your query to an appropriate individual that can answer it. If you would like to be part of the group to which the maintainer directs questions, please drop a note to the FAQ maintainer at maintainer@scjfaq.org.

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