Moscow recently announced that it was working to dissolve the Jewish Agency for Israel’s operations in Russia and that the quasi-governmental organization could face official sanctions, a move that was met with consternation by both Israeli officials and global Jewish leaders.
To fully grasp the developing situation, it is important to understand what exactly the Jewish Agency does, the important role it played in Israeli history and what it will mean for Russia’s remaining 150,000 Jews if the Jewish Agency’s offices are permanently dissolved.
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Immigration, Education & Community-Building: Over 100 Years of the Jewish Agency
The Jewish Agency once began as the Palestine Office, a branch of the Zionist Organization that was established in 1908 to aid those arriving as part of the Second Aliyah, the wave of mass migration to the Land of Israel that had begun in 1904.
The responsibilities of the Palestine Office included facilitating immigration, purchasing land for new Jewish communities and cooperating with the ruling Turkish authorities.
For the next 20 years, the Palestine Office (its name changed a couple of times along the way) continued to help facilitate Jewish immigration and the establishment of new Jewish communities throughout the Land of Israel.
In 1929, the 16th Zionist Congress redesigned the organization and named it the Jewish Agency for Palestine.
Related Reading: What Was the Land of Israel Like Before 1948?
With the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the Jewish Agency placed greater emphasis on facilitating Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel, helping to bring 150,000 Jewish refugees and displaced persons to the British-controlled territory between 1934 and 1948.
During the dark years of the Holocaust, the Jewish Agency also worked to send vital necessities to those trapped in Europe and helped organize the enlistment of Palestinian Jews in the British military.
As the Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine moved closer to independence, the Jewish Agency, which had been led by David Ben Gurion since 1935, also helped set up what would become Israel’s provisional government after independence.
The Agency’s commitment to immigration and community-building made it a valuable target for those opposed to Jewish independence, and the organization’s Jerusalem headquarters was bombed by Arab terrorists in March 1948, killing at least eleven people and wounding 86.
Following the establishment of the State of Israel, the Jewish Agency restructured itself to contain four departments that reflected its priorities: The Aliyah department (which focused on immigration), the education department (with a focus on the Diaspora), the agriculture & settlement department and the Israel department (with a focus on marginalized communities in Israel).
In the early years of the Jewish state, the Jewish Agency spearheaded the immigration to Israel of displaced refugees from Europe as well as Jewish refugees from Arab countries. The Jewish Agency also helped these immigrants in their new home by establishing Ulpans (Hebrew language schools) and setting up temporary housing.
Decades later, the Jewish Agency also had a hand in bringing thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel as part of Operations Moses (1984-85) and Solomon (1991) as well as facilitating the immigration of hundreds of thousands of Russian-speaking Jews following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.
Related Reading: The Israeli Story of Aliyah
One Eye on Israel, One Eye on the Diaspora: The Jewish Agency Today
Over the past 74 years, the State of Israel has advanced to become a center of technology and development. In tandem with the Jewish state’s growth, the Jewish Agency has also expanded its activities, all the while keeping to its founding principles.
As always, the Jewish Agency continues to help Jews from around the world immigrate to Israel. In addition, the Jewish Agency aims to foster ties between Israel and the Diaspora by sending emissaries to Jewish communities around the world, supporting 10-day Birthright trips to Israel and operating long-term Masa programs.
In Israel, the Jewish Agency runs a number of programs including youth villages for disadvantaged teens, Amigour housing for elderly Israelis (including many Holocaust survivors and immigrants from the former Soviet Union) as well as interest-free loans for small businesses.
The Jewish Agency also provides services for Israel’s Arab citizens, including youth mentoring, the Neve Midbar village for Bedouin youth and the Net@ computer education program.
Related Reading: Birthright: Why the Controversy?
The Jewish Agency and Russia: What’s the Future for Russian Jewry?
As noted above, the Jewish Agency has a long history of working with Russian Jewry, from the mass Russian Aliyah of the early 20th century through the absorption of hundreds of thousands of immigrants following the collapse of the Soviet Union and continuing today with a wide variety of programs and services geared towards Russian-speaking Israelis.
However, with the recent announcement by the Russian government that it is seeking to dissolve the Jewish Agency offices in Moscow, what does the future hold for the remaining 150,000 Jews in Russia and how will this affect Russian-Israeli relations?
As noted by Gal Beckerman, who has written extensively on Russian Jewry, the closing of the Jewish Agency in Russia will not spell the end of immigration to Israel. Unlike the Soviet era, when Jews were effectively barred from leaving the country for many years, Russian Jews can still fly to Israel and apply for Israeli citizenship from within the Jewish state.
However, without the support network that was provided by the Jewish Agency, Russian immigrants to Israel will face a much more daunting and difficult Aliyah process.
While making Aliyah may become more onerous for Russian Jews, the former Chief Rabbi of Moscow suspects that the closing of the Jewish Agency offices might actually lead to a rise in immigration to Israel, as more Jews will become increasingly uncomfortable with the atmosphere in Russia.
In addition to the Aliyah woes, the Jewish communities of Russia will also lose access to the educational and cultural institutions that were provided by the Jewish Agency.
Related Reading: The Roots of Zionism
Meanwhile, as a quasi-governmental organization, the dissolution of the Jewish Agency is also likely to have an effect on the strained relations between Russia and Israel.
While Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has been stern in his response to the proposed dissolution, claiming that “closing the Jewish Agency offices would be a serious event that would affect relations,” Israeli officials are seemingly divided on how best to respond to Moscow’s recent moves.
Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet Prisoner of Zion and ex-head of the Jewish Agency, has joined a chorus of voices that have lauded PM Lapid for his tough stance towards Russia while other experts warn that an exacerbation of the situation could “undermine Israel’s strategic interests and many months of effort to preserve those interests.”
Regardless of how the situation develops, whether Russia goes ahead with its plans or relents in the face of Israeli pressure, one thing is certain: The move to dissolve the Jewish Agency’s Russian offices has joined the war in Ukraine and Syrian hostilities in deepening the rift between Moscow and Jerusalem.
Related Reading: No, Media, Israel is Not a Russian ‘Ally’ in the War Against Ukraine
The Jewish Agency has played an important role in Zionist and Israeli history, acting as a lifeline for Jews around the world seeking to move to Israel, helping to deepen relations between Israel and the Diaspora and providing much-needed services for Israel’s most vulnerable populations.
With the news surrounding the organization’s future in Russia constantly developing, it is important to keep in mind that a move to shutter the Agency’s offices is not a purely political decision but it will affect the lives and futures of thousands of Russia’s Jewish citizens.
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