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Experience of Noshrim Seen as
Negative Consequence for Israel
By ALON BEN-MEIR
ST. LOUIS — The issue of
the Jewish drop-outs (nos-
hrim) is one of those painful
and perhaps fateful dilem-
mas that has been debated
for the last several years
without anyone reaching a
practical solution. It is
tragic that more than 70
percent of Russian Jewry
emigrating on an Israeli
visa do not settle in Israel,
but instead, opt to reside in
other countries, primarily
the U.S.
This is without doubt one
of the most alarming de-
velopments of modern
Jewish history, and it has
serious implications for the
well-being of both Israel
and World Jewry.
The problem of the nos-
hrim did not evolve over-
night. In the early 1970s,
more than 95 percent of the
Russian Jews who were
allowed to leave the Soviet
Union emigrated to Israel.
What transpired during the
last seven-nine years is not
difficult to fathom. It was
brought about by the lack of
a coherent Israeli national
policy; by the absence of
proper coordination be-
tween the various Jewish
organizations involved; by
an inflated bureaucarcy in
Israel; and finally, by
jealousy, blind competition,
and self-righteousness.
All of these shortcom-
ings came into play, leav-
ing an issue of extraordi-
nary magnitude and ra-
mifications up to the
whims of self-appointed,
misguided individuals in
both the Hebrew Immig-
rant Aid Society (HIAS)
and the Joint Distribu-
tion Committee.
We are told that the
drop-outs are simply misin-
formed. Having been con-
stantly subjected to anti-
Israel propaganda, their
only antidote became the
Voice of America. Thus,
seduced, the U.S., not Is-
rael, became their preferred
destination.
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Yet, statistics verify that
more than 90 percent of
these earlier immigrants
opted for Israel. Although
the possibility of a "difficult
life" is certainly cited as one
discouraging factor, in
reality, Israel's immigra-
tion procedures and
bureaucratic red tape can be
blamed for the considerable
disenchantment that many
Russian emigres expressed.
In this area, Israel can,
and indeed must, correct its
inefficient bureaucracy and
make absorption into Is-
raeli society a positive
rather than an anxious ex-
perience.
The psychological and
emotional conditions of
the immigrant Jews is
cited as a contributing
factor. Having been per-
secuted because of their
Jewishness, many seize
the first opportunity to
relieve themselves of
their Jewish identity
once they reach the
"promised land" of the
U.S. Unlike Israel, the
U.S. offers them a more
conducive environment
to achieve just that.
Israel is the only country
where a Jew can maintain
his identity without observ-
ing the rituals and main-
taining the facade to which
many Diaspora Jews have
grown accustomed as a way
of asserting their Jewish-
ness.
Some officials of the
Jewish Agency and the
World Zionist Organiza-
tion, including its world
chairman, Arye Dulzin,
have repeatedly stated that
the Majority of Russian
emigres would have immig-
rated to Israel if HIAS had
not been ready and willing
to assist any Jew who
wanted to settle in other
countries. The fact that Is-
rael must compete with the
U.S. definitely puts the
former at a serious disad-
vantage. Whether or not
any other agency is to blame
is hardly relevant.
It is ironic that we Jews
continue to create one
agency after another, and
yet hopelessly fail to cope
with our creations. HIAS
was formed to help dis-
placed Jews and refugees
after World War II, but now
for "humanitarian" rea-
sons, it creates a totally un-
justified competition be-
tween Jewish "homelands."
For the more than two
million Jews who immig-
rated to Israel during the
1940s and 1950s, there was
no freedom of choice; only
Israel could fulfill their
highest aspiration. The ab-
sence of "freedom of choice"
solidified the creation of the
state of Israel. Israel's very
future may well depend on
the continuation of the
same premise.
It is argued that if the Is-
raeli government had in-
sisted on a policy change,
the whole picture would
have been different today.
The reason behind the Is-
raeli government's lack of
resolve is its concern over
the position of the U.S.
Jewish leadership. It is
known that the majority of
these leaders do not support
any change in the current
policy, be it out of misplaced
guilt, poor coordination, or
mistaken assessment of the
situation, and they continue
to advocate the over-used
cliche of "freedom of choice."
In this respect, I believe
that the Israeli government
should assume the greater
part of the blame. The
preoccupation of Israeli
leaders with matters of war
and peace has often camouf-
laged the critical issue of
Jewish immigration. .
Both Menahem Begin
and his predecesor, Yit-
zhak Rabin, refused to
take a firm position on
the drop-out problem.
Both leaders have not
lived up to the call and
the responsibility of Is-
rael's demographic di-
lemma, a problem that
has a direct bearing on
the attitudes of the Arab
states toward Israel and
to which the drop-outs
contribute considerably.
Russian Jews should im-
migrate to Israel, and Israel
must be given first priority.
No Russian Jews should be
allowed to immigrate any-
where else before given the
opportunity to visit Israel.
No Jewish organizations
should be allowed to per-
petuate itself at the expense
of Israel's ultimate future.
No agency, Jewish or
otherwise, should be in-
volved in the drop-outs' re-
habilitation without
thorough consideration of
all other aspects, and fi-
nally, no vague com-
promises should be worked
out to please or apease this
or other agencies.
The Jewish national
character and aspirations
are at stake. The whole
raison d'etre behind the
creation of Israel is at stake.
The credibility.of Israel and
world Jewry is at stake.
In conclusion, we must
mobilize all of our human
resources and enact a
coherent policy — a pol-
icy geared to bringing
every single Russian Jew
with an Israeli visa to the
real promised land.
Even if the Russian Jews
decide to emigrate from Is-
rael after a reasonable stay
(6-12 months) and exercise
their "freedom of choice,"
they have at least enriched
themselves with Jewish
values and contributed in a
small way to Israel's
strength.
Those who elect to emi-
grate from Israel should be
able to do so totally and
completely at their expense.
In a Jerusalem Post arti-
cle, Yosef Godell states:
"However, there is every
reason why Israel should
press for an arrangement
whereby Soviet Jewish ar-
rivals in Vienna are taken
directly to a waiting El Al
airliner rather than to the
Vienna transit camp. Soviet
Jewish emigrants should be
permitted to preserve what-
ever realistic option they
have of going to the U.S. for
sometime . . . after coming
to Israel. But their process-
ing and initial absorption
should be and can be done in
Israel."
The U.S. and Israel can
workout an arrangement
whereby U.S. immigra-
tion laws defining dis-
placed persons would
remain applicable, and
thus, I.S. displaced per-
sons' visas and U.S. gov-
ernment matching funds
would still be available.
To accomplish this, every
responsible Jew must act.
Moreover, it is incumbent
on the Israeli government,
especially the Prime Minis-
ter, to take a firm, definitive
position.
There is no room for am-
bivalence, no time for
equivocation, and no reason
for lack of resolve and
half-measures. The Soviet
Union must not be handed
any cause to slow or stop
Jewish emigration.
If we Jews do not solve
this problem, we will be
held accountable not only to
our generation but to future
generations for one of the
biggest blunders in our his-
tory—a blunder which may
undermine the very exist-
ence of Israel and Diaspora
Jewry.
L.A. Physicist
Descendent
of Maimonides?
TEL AVIV (JTA1 —
Theodore Maiman, the Los
Angeles physicist who built
and operated the world's
first laser machine in 1960,
believes that he is a descen-
dent of the Rambam, the
12th Century Jewish sage
Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon,
also known as Maimonides.
He confided this to the
town clerk in Tiberias who
escorted him on a tour of the
town, site of the Rambam's
tomb.
A parent is a person who
believes the words "pro-
geny" and "prodigy" are in-
terchangeable.
—Marcelene Cox
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