September 1, 2002

Sharon pressed to save Law of Return

The chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel asked Ariel Sharon to quash plans to change the Law of Return. In a letter to the Israeli prime minister, Sallai Meridor asked that action be taken against Interior Ministry plans to change the law, which guarantees Israeli citizenship to anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent. Israel's chief rabbis called this week for changes to the law, saying that two-thirds of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union are not Jews according to religious law. Meridor, however, said that only 1 percent of the Russian immigrants actively define themselves as Christian. He added that any change to the law may harm Israel-Diaspora relations. 

© JTA. Reproduction of material without written permission is strictly prohibited.