Israel Matzav

Increase in Tunisian aliya?

The Jewish Agency for Israel is denying a report that appeared in Friday's Haaretz and Yediot that claimed that 25 Tunisian Jewish families were making aliya, but the agency did say that 40-50 Tunisian Jews have made aliya since that country's regime change in January, and the Israeli government is encouraging them.

Israel is planning to offer Tunisian Jews interested in emigrating following the recent uprising in the country a special absorption package, but members of the community said on Thursday that they were unaware of any significant change in their situation.

“They’ll receive a year of no-questions accommodation at an aliya center, and other benefits on top of what others get,” said Jewish Agency for Israel spokesman Haviv Rettig Gur.

Earlier Thursday, the Immigrant Absorption Ministry announced that the government would debate the details of the package, which will purportedly offer NIS 10,000 to Tunisian Jews in addition to benefits awarded to other olim.

“The regime change in Tunisia as a result of the Jasmine revolution... has brought about the Islamization of the government and rise in anti-Semitism,” stated a ministry document quoted by Israeli media. “There has a been an increasingly worsening attitude by the authorities and society toward the Jewish community.”

Elad Sonn, the ministry spokesman, confirmed the wording of the document and said it was based on “information from the Jewish Agency.”

Roger Bismuth, president of the Jewish community in Tunisia, said he had not noted a change in the government’s attitude toward Jews, nor did he know of plans by community members to leave the country en masse, although he didn’t rule it out entirely.

“I doubt anybody has heard anything like that,” he said by phone from Tunis on Thursday. “It might be true, there’s so much gossip going around.”

Bismuth is the captain who can't abandon the ship until everyone else leaves. I'd bet on most Tunisian Jews making aliya in the near future - with some possibly going to France or the US. Why would anyone hang around to find out whether the Islamists are going to end up in charge?

But Yaakov Lozowick asks the most intriguing question:

what happens if a year from now it is clear the Arab Spring caused an Islamist takeover of the entire region? I'm not saying I know it will happen. But what if?

I'd bet on it happening. And I'd be happy to see the remaining Jews in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon etc. make aliya to Israel. But I'd bet on us being in a more precarious position because of it, unless all these Islamist regimes decide they had better worry about their home fronts before trying to destroy Israel.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Arab democracy, Tunisia, Tunisian Jewry

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:08 PM