Occupied Jerusalem – Proposed legislation in Israel is raising serious concerns about discriminatory practices targeting not only the Palestinian Arab community but also significant segments of the Jewish population, particularly immigrants brought to historic Palestine since the inception of the Zionist project.
For decades, the Israeli establishment has been accused of systematic discrimination against Jews who immigrated to Palestine in the late 1940s and 1950s from Arab countries, often referred to as Mizrahi Jews. This alleged discriminatory pattern has also extended to Ethiopian Jews, known as Falasha, who were brought to Israel in the 1980s, as well as immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s, following its collapse. The Russian-speaking population in Israel is estimated to be around 1.3 million.
Now, a new bill put forth by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, in collaboration with religious courts, seeks to grant these courts broad powers to investigate and determine the ‘Jewishness’ of individuals. The decisions of these courts would be binding on all Israeli authorities.
The proposed law, which has already passed its first reading in the Knesset, stipulates that the director of the Department for Clarifying Jewishness or the marriage registrar can initiate proceedings to verify a person’s Jewish identity without their consent or even notifying them.
Critics argue that under these regulations, anyone in Israel, especially immigrants from the former Soviet Union, could be subjected to scrutiny regarding their religious affiliation. Furthermore, the legislation could impact family members, who may be forced to choose between undergoing Jewish verification procedures or being registered as prohibited from marriage in religious courts, thus perpetuating exclusion and discrimination based on religious grounds.
Between 2010 and 2023, approximately 50,000 files were opened to investigate Jewish affiliation, highlighting the existing scrutiny faced by many citizens. This new legislation is seen by some as a further entrenchment of discriminatory practices within Israeli society.
