Today (Thursday), the Minister of Diaspora addressed an urgent letter to the Prime Minister’s Office, Naftali Bennett, in which he clarifies his growing concern about the state of relations with Jewish communities and organizations around the world, in view of the stricter restrictions on entry into Israel.
Minister Nachman Shai: “Israel is at the beginning of a deep crisis in relations with world Jewry, for the first time in history Israel repeatedly closes the door on the Jewish people without taking into account the implications of Israeli policy on the fabric of relations between Israel and Judaism in the Diaspora and our future. The feelings are difficult, my office and I are inundated with inquiries. ” Minister Shai added that there is an understanding regarding the complexity of the current situation, but the frustration has increased. “We must remember morning and evening that Diaspora Jewry is a part of each and every one of us, a strategic and essential asset for the resilience and national and social security of the State of Israel.”
The Ministry of Diaspora calls on Bennett to establish an inter-ministerial team to examine the issue of Jews entering Israel, both individuals and groups. In addition, Minister Shai seeks to formulate a dedicated information team on the subject of the corona for the leadership of the Jewish world, so that there will be a continuous and permanent response on behalf of the state regarding the restrictions on entry into Israel and the health situation.
This letter comes in the wake of government decisions last week, which raised the issue of red states. In the votes in which the United States and France – which are the two largest Jewish communities in the Diaspora – were added to the list of red states, Nachman Shai and the chairman of his party, Merav Michaeli, voted against.
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