The Jewish Agency is abiding by Russian information laws and has not shared data about aliyah applicants with the main office in Israel since September 14, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
The Jewish Agency’s offices in Russia are in the midst of establishing a local call center that will serve those interested in making aliyah, instead of the service provided by the agency’s Global Center in Jerusalem.
In addition, the agency has put about 40 of its local employees in Russia on paid time off. These employees mainly facilitate the aliyah process from cities in Russia’s periphery.
The Jewish Agency confirmed the information on Monday and said it was in the midst of “a process of reorganization.”
Why is the Russian Jewish Agency suddenly keeping quiet?
The Russian Justice Ministry has requested the liquidation of the Jewish Agency’s activities in Russia, the Post reported in July. Russian authorities have been interrogating Jewish Agency representatives for the past few years, and have accused them of violating information laws that do not allow sharing data about Russian citizens with other countries or entities affiliated with foreign countries.
The Global Center has received 80,000 calls from Russia and Belarus, and 40,000 applicants have received approval to make aliyah, according to information obtained by the Post. Over the past few months, approximately 2,000 new immigrants from Russia and Belarus have been arriving in Israel each month.
There have been two court hearings in Moscow regarding the agency’s status in Russia. Israeli diplomatic officials, including President Isaac Herzog, have been trying to find a solution by speaking to the authorities. Herzog spoke to President Vladimir Putin, and sources close to him said they were optimistic regarding the situation.
The hearing last month on the closure of the agency’s Russian office was postponed by a month, and the Basmanny District Court of Moscow scheduled it for September 19. But the hearing expected to take place Monday morning was postponed again to October 19.
The decision was made by Judge Olga Lipkina at the request of the Jewish Agency’s lawyers, who asked for time to study the documents submitted by the claimant’s representative, according to a report in Russia. However, the judge denied its request for a mediation process outside of the court, the report said.
After the meeting, Jewish Agency attorney Andrey Grishaev said there was still “hope for reconciliation” within a month.