What is repatriation?
Repatriation to Israel – return to the historical homeland of ethnic Jews. This is a large-scale state program aimed at ensuring that the country grows with citizens who have Jewish roots. The most basic rules regarding repatriation are spelled out in the "Law on Return", adopted in 1950, and the "Law on Citizenship", published in 1952.
For more than 70 years, several million Jews from all over the world have returned to the ancestral land, especially many from the former USSR. According to statistics, Russian speakers make up 17% of Israel's population. The most numerous was the so-called Big Aliyah of 1989-1995, when more than a million Olim (repatriates) from Russia and the Union republics came to the country.
New aliyah
A new significant wave of repatriation happened in 2022 (the biggest aliyah in 23 years). After February 24, the stream of happiness seekers (and now asylum seekers) in their historical homeland turned into a stream. Russians and Ukrainians became the most numerous groups of Olim (as of December 1, 2022, 37,364 and 14,680 people, respectively).
Of course, the situation was influenced by the fact that the Israeli government opened special repatriation centers in large cities in March 2022, somewhat facilitated the procedure, and also introduced cash benefits for repatriates from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus from April 2022. They were entitled to an additional amount of 1,000 shekels (approximately $290) per month, in addition to the standard absorption basket.
At the end of January 2023, it became known that the Israeli authorities canceled these special payments, leaving only a basket of absorption.
Who is eligible for repatriation to Israel?
Jews, their descendants in three generations, as well as family members of the first circle (spouses, minor children) of Jews and their descendants have the right to repatriation. According to the Law on Repatriation, a Jew is considered to be one whose mother is Jewish. Thus, if a person's mother is Jewish, for the state of Israel he is a Jew. If the father is not a Jew, but a descendant of a Jew in the first generation. This nuance is key in order to determine whether you have a sufficient degree of kinship for repatriation.
You can obtain Israeli citizenship upon repatriation if:
- You are a Jew by nationality, that is, if your mother is Jewish;
- You have accepted the giyur (Jewish faith)
- Your father is Jewish
- Is one of your grandparents Jewish
- Your great-grandmother is Jewish. Since in Judaism nationality is transmitted through the maternal line, then your grandfather or your grandmother, being the children of a Jewish woman, are automatically considered Jews in the eyes of the State of Israel, even if this is not the case according to documents. It is important that a Jewish great-grandfather will not be suitable in this case, since you will be his descendant already in the 4th, and not in the 3rd generation, as required by law.
- You are the spouse of a person entitled to repatriation (paragraphs 1-4)
- You are a widow or widower of a person who had the right to repatriation, and at the same time you did not remarry after the death of your spouse
- One of your parents is an Israeli citizen, even if you were born outside the Jewish state
- If you were born or lived in Israel, were taken abroad by your parents at the age of under 14, but decided to return to live in your homeland at the age of 17. At the same time, the duration of continuous stay outside Israel must be at least four years.
Minors can become repatriates if their parents or grandparents are Jews. If it is possible to confirm the Jewish nationality only of their great-grandmothers or great-grandfathers, this is equivalent to the fourth generation of kinship. In this case, children first receive a residence permit, which, nevertheless, gives almost the same rights and privileges as a passport. If the child lives in Israel, then after 3 years he can obtain citizenship of the state. However, to do this, you need to confirm that he was in Israel at least 75% of the time every year. A certificate from a school or kindergarten can serve as proof.
An important point: in Israel, religion is not separated from the state. Therefore, if a representative of the first, second or third generation (the one who bears the roots) writes in the appropriate column of the questionnaire that he is Orthodox or Muslim, then this may lead to refusal.
The new government that came to power at the end of December 2022, which, by the way, is considered the most right-wing in the history of the Jewish state, has launched a discussion on how to tighten the requirements for future returnees. There are proposals to reduce the number of applicants for Israeli citizenship by excluding descendants of Jews in the third generation from it. This means changing the "Law on Return" for the first time since 1970, when, on the contrary, the list was significantly expanded.
How to prove your right to repatriation?
To become a repatriate, you must show proof that your ancestor belonged to the Jewish nation. You will need at least two documents, and preferably more. A passport, a certificate of birth, marriage and death, an extract from the house book, party, Komsomol or trade union tickets, personal files from the place of study or work, evacuation certificates will be suitable. The main thing is that the nationality of your relative should be indicated. Indirect evidence is also accepted: evidence of death in the Holocaust or burial in a Jewish cemetery, photographs from Jewish holidays, letters.
As a rule, it is a slightly less difficult task to find documents certifying your relationship. For example, if your maternal grandmother was Jewish, then you will need to submit two birth certificates, yours and your parent's.
The search for documents should be treated with all attention. The necessary papers or books dear to your heart can be stored at home, with you or your relatives. For some confirmations, you will have to contact the registry office, the service "My documents" or the archive.
Methods of repatriation
The traditional way of repatriation begins with contacting the consulate of the State of Israel in your country. The applicant, having collected all the necessary documents, goes for an interview with the consul. As a rule, it is not possible to get approval from the first time, and the official requests additional certificates. If in the end everything goes well for the applicant, then he and his family members fly to Israel already in the status of repatriates at the expense of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration.
Upon arrival at the airport, those who already have a visa from the consul for permanent residence should contact the Aliyah and Immigration department located here. They will immediately be given a certificate of a new repatriate "teudat ale", as well as a medical insurance policy for six months, a mobile SIM card, forms for applying for an internal Israeli passport "teudat-zeut". In addition, new arrivals will immediately receive an absorption basket for the first month in cash, and they will be taken to a hotel or to the address where they will stay for the first time.
The second way of repatriation is that a person with his family immediately arrives in Israel, bypassing the consulate in his country. In this case, future repatriates get off the plane first in the status of tourists. At the airport, they go to the native office (that is, the consul's office), where they will have to undergo an initial interview and present their grounds for repatriation. If this stage is successfully passed, then the family will proceed to the Aliyah and Integration department. They, as well as those who arrived with a visa from the consul, are given a medical insurance policy (but not for six months, but for a month), a SIM card of a mobile operator and are provided with a taxi to the hotel. They will receive an absorption basket later, after changing the status of a tourist to the status of a repatriate. (Note: none of this is being given out today).
Those who have chosen the second path need to be interviewed in Israel at Aliyah centers located in all major cities. The procedure is the same, but since, if necessary, it is quite problematic to deliver the requested paper, it is worth taking care in advance that the entire package of documents is assembled perfectly. The flow of applicants is very large today, therefore, in order to make an appointment for an interview with the consul in Israel, we recommend contacting the agency.
Note that the second method of repatriation is faster today. At the Israeli consulate in Russia, you will have to wait for your turn for an interview for many months.
According to the rules, new returnees are given 3 months to finally establish themselves in theirthe decision to become an Israeli citizen. After this period, you can already apply for an international passport – «darkon », which opens up the opportunity to travel to the EU, the UK, Canada (160 countries in total), as well as get a 10-year tourist visa to the United States under a simplified procedure.
The application for darkon is filled out in the My Visit application (a service for recording in various state instances).
The first darkon is given for 1 year. If a person continues to live in Israel (75% of the year), then this passport is extended first for 4 years, and then for 10 years (provided that the person is a resident of the country).
However, there is a nuance. If you later leave the country and collectively stay here less than 75% of the time a year, then instead of a darkon you get a certificate that you are a citizen, but not a resident of Israel, "lesse passe" ("teudat maavar"). This document is not accepted by all foreign countries. For example, it will not be possible to enter the UK or Canada using it.
First steps in Israel
The first thing that needs to be done in Israel, and for those whose application has already been approved, and for those who have arrived, hoping to submit documents already at the place, – open a bank account and order debit and credit cards. Unlike, say, Russia and Ukraine, it is impossible here without the latter – for many goods and services (for example, hotel accommodation), you can only pay with a credit card (if you pay it off in time, then without commission). Debit card stores accept, but only if we are talking about small amounts. It is permissible to pay in cash for a purchase no more than 5,000 shekels (about $ 1,446).
This feature of local financial life is at first somewhat unusual for Russian-speaking repatriates, although the Israelis themselves actively use such loans (interest-free, subject to repayment deadlines), and many things are acquired by splitting the amount into several payments within the credit limit of their card. By the way, new citizens have a very small limit at first - about 5,000 shekels ($1,446). This amount increases over time.
The second important step is to rent a house. The basket of absorption of a new repatriate includes compensation for renting an apartment. Recall that this allowance is due to the olymes for the first 6 months.
The next stage, after you have solved all organizational issues and got used to the new environment a little, is employment.
In Israel, as elsewhere, IT specialists and engineers are in demand. There are not enough teachers, average medical staff, doctors. For example, 25-30 years ago, after many Russian-speaking doctors came to the country, it was quite difficult to confirm their qualifications and get a place. Now the situation has changed and, for example, dentists with more than 5 years of experience do not need to take an additional exam in Israel.
Another feature of the country is that work that does not require special qualifications is quite highly valued here. The courier's monthly earnings in dollars are in the region of $2000-3000. The minimum wage in Israel is about $1800.
If you are a digital nomad, and you work remotely, for example, for a Russian company, then becoming a tax resident of Israel (that is, living in the country for more than 183 days a year), you will not have to pay income tax for a year and a half. This is definitely a plus. However, there is also a minus – it is difficult to transfer funds from a Russian account to an Israeli one.
Adaptation in Israel
Israel is a country of repatriates, so everything is being done here so that the Olim quickly feel like full members of society.
Language courses
There are many Russian speakers in the country, and you will certainly find a circle of communication in your native language, but in order to live and work without barriers in communication outside the diaspora, you will need to learn Hebrew. Special language courses – ulpans are open for repatriates. They are subsidized by the state, and you can visit them for free by joining a day or evening group. The classes will also tell about the culture and traditions of Israel.
Of course, if you are a sought-after specialist, let's say in IT, then you can safely manage your English and Russian for some time. However, it is still more comfortable to live in the country, knowing the language spoken by the majority of the population.
By the way, ulpans with a professional bias work for doctors, teachers, engineers.
Aliya centers will help you navigate at first, translate diplomas, documents from your place of work in your homeland and recommend which ulpan to choose.
Students
Israel pays special attention to young repatriates. Students get the right to study at universities for free for the first three years. Preparatory courses are open at each institute. For 6-8 months, a young man, if he is of an irrevocable age, studies Hebrew and passes the subjects in which he will take entrance exams.
If the repatriate has already completed several university courses at home, then he needs to translate and provide the Israeli commission with documents confirming intermediate or final certification in subjects. Some disciplines can be transferred.
Boys and girls who have reached the age of 18 are required to serve in the Israeli army. As a rule, if a repatriate arrived at the age of 18, he first takes a Hebrew course in ulpan, then goes to serve in the army. After that, a young person can enter a university.
Schoolchildren
The State allocates an additional budget for the education of each child who arrived as a repatriate for the development of Hebrew and integration in the school team.
In elementary school, a specially trained teacher is engaged with children taking their first steps in their new homeland. Their immersion into the language environment is gradual.
Adapting high school students is somewhat more difficult. If there are a lot of students from among the new repatriates, then they are initially combined into special classes - ulpan classes, in which they master Hebrew.
Cost of living
One of the main aspects of getting comfortable in Israel is financial.
Tel Aviv in 2021 took the first place in the list of the most expensive cities in the world. Israel is really not a cheap country to live in, and a high level of salaries does not always compensate for this.
Rent a one-bedroom apartment with an area of 50 sq. m. m in Tel Aviv costs from 3 000-5 000 shekels ($868-1446), in Haifa 2700 shekels ($780).
Buying real estate on the periphery of the country will cost from $400,000, in the center from $1 million. At the same time, the demand for square meters is very high. Apartments are often sold out at the very beginning of construction.
According to Numbeo, to maintain the same lifestyle as, for example, in Moscow –in Tel Aviv, it will take almost 1.75 times more money (including rental costs in both cities). Prices for consumer goods in Israel's largest metropolis are 73% higher than in the Russian capital.
If we consider other cities in Israel, the gap in the cost of living will be smaller, but still quite significant.
We must pay tribute, some positions, for example, centralized sports sections, on the contrary, are cheaper than in Moscow, but this is rather an exception.
Thus, if the income allows, the repatriates choose large cities – lively centers of business and cultural life. If earnings are more modest, then you can settle on the periphery.
What is the hardest thing to get used to?
The question of adaptation is, of course, purely individual. Some can hardly stand the summer heat, and for others, the Israeli climate, on the contrary, is comfortable - you can go to the beach.
Usually, new returnees are initially burdened by the fact that the cities of the Jewish state from Friday evening to Saturday evening freeze on Shabbat. However, after some time they begin to see the benefits of this free day and perceive it as an opportunity to stop the race for a short time.
It is well known that Israel is in a permanent military conflict with Palestine. Despite this fact, surveys show that more than 70% of people feel safe here. Apparently, this is due to the unprecedented measures that the state is taking to protect citizens and guests of the country.
In conclusion, we wish those who have moved recently a quick and easy adaptation! If you are only considering the possibility of repatriation, we recommend that you hurry up while conditions allow.
Thank you for your help in preparing the article, the consultant of the company "Baythadash" Elena Avdeeva!
