NEW YORK – Israelis living abroad who want to travel home with their children must commit to nationalizing them or get them Israeli passports, according to new guidelines from the Interior Ministry.
Many Israelis have been waiting for a year or longer due to the pandemic to visit family in Israel, and were hoping to bring their children to Israel this summer. But the new regulations may put those plans on hold for some, who bristle at the new requirements.
Previously, during the pandemic, parents had to apply for special dispensation to bring their children without Israeli passports into Israel (as did any foreigner who wanted to get into Israel). But as of May 2, according to the new guidelines, parents must commit to getting their child an Israeli passport within 60 days of their return trip.
“I was shocked when I saw that under the law, I have to apply for Israeli citizenship for my daughter in order for her to visit Israel,” says Charlotte Cohn, an Israeli citizen living in New York for the last 20 years. She was hoping to bring her 15-year-old-daughter to Israel for a family celebration and to visit her elderly mother. They’ve visited many times before and never had any demands to nationalize their daughter.
“It bothers me – it takes time, effort and money. It seems arbitrary,” she said.
MANY ISRAELI parents are so upset and confused about what they call “enforced citizenship,” they’ve taken to WhatsApp and then Facebook Groups (when WhatsApp reached its limit). This week, a new Facebook group was formed called (in Hebrew) “Israelis in Israel – The Effort to Change – Admission of Minors Without Passports” and has already garnered 1,500 members.
Some are Israeli parents married to non-Israelis who do not want their children to get passports; others are single parents who cannot take their children to Israel because their (non-Israeli) spouse will not give permission if the cost is an Israeli passport. Others simply do not have the time or energy to get all the documents together in time for a summer trip.
“Look, we’re not talking about a leisure trip,” said Roman Pogorelov, one of the group admins. “We’re talking about reuniting families; grandparents who never met their grandchildren; people seeing old or dying relatives.”
He said the purpose of the burgeoning group is to help people understand the new guidelines and help them prepare for their trip, as well as pressure the Israeli government to change the new guidelines.
“I think what will make them do something is when they realize that people don’t accept this coercion. And when people flood the embassies with complaints and problems, it will prove to them they cannot infringe on our rights – maybe then something will change,” Sophie Matzner wrote in the group.
Some parents frame this as a civil rights issue, and talk about wanting to give their children the option to decide if they want citizenship. Others fear their young children will have difficulty entering and leaving the country when they are teenagers, or have a problem with the army. A few Israeli parents even talk about wanting to give up their own citizenship for this.
BUT THE Interior Ministry spokeswoman says this is not a new law: “Any child born to an Israeli parent is Israeli,” Sabine Hadad told The Jerusalem Post, citing paragraph 4 of the Law of Citizenship and Entry into Israel. “While many Israeli parents in the past have not registered their children or taken out passports, they are still considered Israeli according to the law.”
But Israelis abroad say this hasn’t been enforced for decades. “I’ve been coming to Israel for years with my two children and have never had problems that they’re on American passports,” said Shiri (who preferred not to give her last name).
Hadad says it’s actually an “easement” of the previous restrictions, allowing people to sign a declaration before travel, rather than complete the entire application.
According to the consulate guidelines, three weeks before travel, a parent must present the parent’s and child’s passports, the child’s birth certificate (preferably notarized), a “fruit of your loins” proof (hospital discharge letter or delivery doctor), which could also be difficult for adoptive parents, step-parents and parents who used surrogates.
They’re asking me for my religion and nationality and Hebrew birthday – What are we, Iran?” said one member of the group.
Pogorelov said that local consulates are overrun right now with all these requests. “They can’t deal with the dozens of requests flooding in right now,” he said, noting that people may not get approvals in time. “How is it that foreigners with a first-degree relative” – parent or child – “can enter the country but parents with children cannot?”
Shiri said she was sad that this law “was preventing Israelis and Jews from coming to Israel.”
Indeed, many Israeli parents, faced with the bureaucracy, have made other summer plans.
Charlotte Cohn says she’s “outraged” by the whole situation. “I will not be going this summer, sadly.”