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NEWS
Germany to Restrict Entry of Russian Jews
by Arnon Yaffe, Paris
The German government plans to close its gates to Russian
Jews, to stop the rapid increase of the Jewish population.
Until now, Germany has encouraged Jewish immigration in order
to renew the Jewish communities and to assist their
integration. During the past ten years, 100,000 Jews have
immigrated to Germany from Russia and the Ukraine, renewing
the Jewish presence in the country despite their detachment
from Yiddishkeit.
According to the Berliner Tzeitung, the Germans funded
Jewish and religious studies to bring the new immigrants
closer to Judaism. Over the past decade, Yiddishkeit
has advanced and yeshivas have even been founded for the
children of immigrants. In the city streets, chareidim can be
seen after an absence of 100 years. However from now on,
immigrants will have to present a certificate from their home
communities to prove they are Jewish. "Only young and wealthy
Jews will be able to enter," said a community activist in
Berlin.
Government officials say the policy change is due to the high
costs of immigrant absorption. Every Russian Jew who arrives
is entitled to a monthly allowance until finding work. People
in Berlin said the rapid growth in numbers and the emergence
of new, dynamic communities not found in the rest of Europe
where Judaism is on the decline raises concerns that
antisemitic sentiments could resurface in Germany. Some say
that if the Jewish population in Germany exceeds 500,000,
antisemitism is bound to return, despite the suppression of
Nazi crimes.
Jews are suffering from antisemitism throughout Europe,
except for Germany. Even before the wave of immigration, the
handful of Jews in Germany were barely tolerated by some
German intellectuals, who accused Jewish contractors of
taking advantage of the Germans and destroying German cities
by taking over land and buildings. But this was a fringe
minority.
According to newspaper reports, the rapid growth of the
Jewish community is straining government authorities. Non-
Jewish immigration has held steady for several years at
400,000 annually. Yet Jewish immigration keeps growing,
surpassing even the Turks. Chancellor Schroeder will wait for
the inauguration of the enormous Holocaust memorial in Berlin
before altering the policy on Jewish immigration. 2,751
cement slabs have been erected in the heart of Berlin not far
from the bunker where Hitler hid until his death. Visitors
arriving at the site get lost in the maze of cement and
stone, designed to symbolize the inability of today's Germans
to grasp the enormity of Nazi crimes.
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