Last week, following a several-day journey, a 59-year old Jewish Ukrainian man reached the Ukrainian-Hungarian border. He was carrying a Ukrainian passport, a document that said he was discharged from the military five years ago, and a provisional Israeli passport that he had received a few hours earlier. The man was supposed to make aliyah to Israel, as part of a process that began several months prior, unrelated to the war that erupted.
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But officers at the border prevented him from crossing because of a new law in Ukraine that prevents able-bodied men from leaving. In addition, he was thrown insults for being a Jew and threatened he would be conscripted and have his vehicle stolen. In the end, the man was let go, only to return to Ukraine.
This is one of many true stories that depict, unfortunately, what many of us feared – a wave of antisemitism rearing its head in Ukraine. In the weeks leading up to the incursion, Israel called on all its citizens staying in Ukraine to return, but an estimated 6,000 Israelis are still thought to be in the besieged country, including hundreds of thousands of Jews. While initially, it made sense to encourage everyone to return, or make aliyah. However, as soon as the fighting began, we should have stopped urging immigration to Israel, or at least from doing so openly, for the immediate result of aliyah encouragement is a rise in antisemitism.
According to the World Zionist Organization, no significant increase in physical antisemitic incidents has yet been reported in Ukraine and neighboring countries (such as vandalism of Jewish symbols and attacks on Jews), given that locals are preoccupied with trying to survive.
However, it is precisely on social media that one can detect an alarming trend on both sides of the border. On VK, a popular social network among Russian speakers, users blamed the war on the Jews and Israel. The fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish only fuels the spread of such conspiracies. In addition, the classic antisemitic rhetoric of Jews controlling the global economy also began circulating online.
Usually, a wave of antisemitism is followed by a wave of aliyah. We saw this in 2019 when many Jews from France immigrated to Israel after experiencing a year of Jew-hatred in 2018. This time, things are different. We must understand that from Ukraine's perspective, anyone leaving the country will be viewed as having dual loyalties, which will increase Jew-hatred.
Israel's declared support only for Ukraine's Jews will emphasize the lack of loyalty to Ukraine at a time of war, and disloyalty to their country of residence, especially when it comes to young men applying for aliyah, a matter that can be perceived as a desire to evade fighting alongside Ukraine's soldiers.
True, our goal is to help each and every Jew, but if we distinguish between one kind of blood to another now, it might lead to the shedding of Jewish blood in the future. The Israeli government is right to send humanitarian aid to all those in refugee camps and deal with requests without discrimination.
Israel must minimize encouraging aliyah without giving it up, and continue work on two fronts – keep helping every Israeli and Jew that reaches out, and continue with humanitarian aid to all those who flee the war zone. To proudly present Israel as helping all those left without a roof over their heads, and emphasize this approach in the media.
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