For the purpose of this blog post we will pretend that bending over backwards to undo and defend Israel’s blemished national image, is not a waste of energy – Jews in large numbers have been unpopular since the beginning of time; there’s really nothing we can do to help that. But if there is any influential member of Israel’s government who is ruining her reputation, it is none other than Shas party-leader and Interior Minister, Eli Yishai.
Sadly, he who leads the most powerful, religious political faction in the State of Israel is an unapologetic racist. Yishai, for the last year or so was at the helm of the movement to expel the children of foreign workers. He claims the amount of non-Jewish families, as a result of the foreign workers is detracting from the ‘Jewishness’ of the country. Adon Yishai forgot that a genuine concern for humanity and love for the people of all nations is the responsibility of Israel.
According to a government decision, last August, all children must be registered in the Israeli school system; they must speak Hebrew; they must been either born in Israel, or entered before their 13th birthday; they had to have lived in Israel for at least five consecutive years and the children’s parents must have entered Israel under a legal permit – or else, deportation.
Former prime minister, Ehud Olmert’s wife, Aliza, was active in the battle to have the children remain, repeatedly petitioning the government to show them compassion. Also in August, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s wife, Sarah, wrote this letter to Yishai on behalf of 400 children facing deportation:
“Dear Eli, I turn to you as a mother of two young sons and a psychologist in the public service…From the depth of my heart, I ask of you to exercise your authority… and allow most of the 400 children to stay in Israel…Israel must find a solution for these children. I would like to believe that my pleas on this matter helped the prime minister’s position that 800 out of 1,200 children in question were allowed to stay. I am certain that in this case too, you can find a creative solution for the children of the foreign workers [through] the government’s decision and the power you hold as interior minister, in a way which will not harm Israel’s national interests as a Jewish state and its policy on immigration.”
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