An Israeli delegation will head to Russia on Sunday on Prime Minister Yair Lapid's orders in hopes of halting a Russian order to shutter the operations of the Jewish Agency in the country.
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An official with the Moscow District Court was quoted Thursday as saying that Russia's Justice Ministry aims to "shut down" the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency. A court hearing in the case has been scheduled for July 28.
The Jewish Agency is a nonprofit that works closely with the Israeli government to bring Jewish immigrants from around the world to Israel. The Jewish Agency has been active in Russia since 1989, and has helped over 1 million immigrants from the former Soviet Union make aliyah over the years.
It is estimated that 150,000 Jews still live in Russia.
Jewish Agency data shows immigration has picked up since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, with 17,000 Russians taking Israeli citizenship and as many as 40,000 others coming to Israel and expected to apply. In comparison, some 7,700 Russian Jews immigrated to Israel last year.
The Prime Minister's Office said the delegation heading to Russia would include representatives from Lapid's office, the Foreign Ministry, and other government ministries.
"The Jewish community in Russia is deeply connected with Israel. Its importance arises in every diplomatic discussion with the Russian leadership," Lapid said. "We will continue to act through diplomatic channels so that the Jewish Agency's important activity will not cease."
A Jewish Agency official said that Russia has accused the nonprofit of violating its privacy laws by collecting personal information of people who are interested in immigrating to Israel. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the pending court case, said it was not clear why Russia was cracking down on what he described as routine paperwork.
The Israeli delegation to Moscow is made up primarily of legalists, but according to a source familiar with the issue, its stands little chance in the Russian court.
While it is unknown why the Kremlin has decided to target the Jewish Agency at this time, Jerusalem officials believe the allegations the agency faces have no legal standing, rather the matter is more diplomatic in nature, and therefore only behind-the-scenes diplomatic talks could resolve it.
Israel has chosen to "play the game" vis-à-vis Russia and is sending a delegation of various legal experts, but as they cannot appear before the Russian court, the most they can do is advise Jewish agency officials on the ground, one official told Israel Hayom.
The Jewish Agency's operations in Russia are often hindered by local authorities, but for the most part, these matters are seen as sporadic incidents, which usually boil down to minor fines.
The current situation is different because the Russians seem adamant to expel the Jewish Agency from the country altogether, which is why they sought a court order, the official explained.
Common wisdom in the West is that the Russian courts do not follow western legal standards but rather political interest dictated by the Kremlin.
The July 28 hearing seeks to determine whether the filing by both parties follow procedures and whether the case warrants full legal proceedings. Israel believes that unless the presiding judge is instructed otherwise by the powers that be, there is no justification for the case to go to court.
The Russian Foreign Ministry insists that the case rests on solid legal ground.
Jerusalem sources said that the Kremlin could be using the move to vent frustration over various Israeli actions that are unrelated to the war with Ukraine, including the IDF's operations against Iranian assets in Syria.
This theory suggests that the move against the Jewish Agency is not the work of the Kremlin but rather that of the Russian Defense Ministry, which reportedly resents having to coordinate operations in the region with Israel.
Another official theorized that Moscow was unhappy with an Israeli Supreme Court decision in May to let a Jewish settler group's purchase of an East Jerusalem property from the Greek Orthodox Church stand.
The controversial deal was struck in secret in 2004 and involves the Ateret Cohanim movement, which promotes Jewish residency in east Jerusalem. The issue has been the subject of a lengthy court battle, with the church claiming the deal was never sanctioned by the church authorities and was therefore illegal, but the High Court ruled in favor of Ateret Cohanim.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said at the time that it was "deeply concerned" by the ruling.
Jerusalem sources, meanwhile, said the real cause for concern is that so far – and unlike in other cases where Israeli and Russian interests clashed – Moscow has given no indication as to what it wants to end the crisis.
As diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue continue, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi has already met with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and a meeting between National Security Adviser Dr. Eyal Hulata and his Russian counterpart, Gen. Nikolai Patrushev may be forthcoming as well.
If all else fails, Prime Minister Yair Lapid may have to resolve the issue vis-à-vis Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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