Israel’s ‘Anchor Baby’ Issue: A Conundrum for a Jewish State
Following a decade hiatus living outside Israel, I returned to the country in 2005. While reacclimating, I witnessed the following scene:
Waiting for a Russian woman to finish slicing my cheese at the deli counter, a septuagenarian in a tweed overcoat and cashmere gloves pulled up beside me in his wheelchair. Pushing him was a slight woman in her mid-40s with dark hair and dark eyes.
She: “What do you want?”
He: “Nothing. I don’t want anything.”
She: “But you said you wanted herring!”
He: “Why are you bothering me? When did I say I want herring?”
She: “Nu? Oy! We get all the way over here and now you change your mind! I’m going to go crazy!”
I chuckled internally, but not because the exchange was unusual — this was tame for Israel. I was intrigued by the notion that sparring before me in flawless Hebrew with a crotchety European Jew was a petite Christian Filipina.
The gradual influx of foreign laborers to Israel began in the mid-1990s when the government needed to fill the void left by Palestinian workers who were increasingly being barred from entering the country. Today, Israel’s construction, elder and child care, and agricultural industries are dominated by a quarter-million foreign laborers employed by agencies or private sponsors, or working illegally.
The growing political unease over Israel’s dependence on foreign labor is put in simple terms by a government operative friend:
If they continue to come here, settle down and have kids, they will offset a Jewish majority in Israel. We have to keep an eye and a cap on that.
Sound familiar? The Arizona “anchor baby” debate over the status of children born to illegal immigrants in the U.S. mirrors Israel’s conundrum regarding children of foreign laborers, their legal status, and their ultimate right to reside in the country.
The dilemma was apparent this week in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pre-cabinet session statement issued to appease opponents of extradition, while at the same time addressing the government’s problem.
On the one hand, he said, Israel wants to adopt these “little children.” But on the other hand, Israel mustn’t create an incentive for “hundreds of thousands to come to Israel.”
The problem is not with the legal immigrants from the Philipines or Thailand or a few other countries. A fair & just solution can be found.
The real problem is with the thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans that sneak across the border from Egypt (the Egyptians shoot to kill, many have been killed).
I live in Eilat, a small tourist resort. In just a few years, our town has been flooded with these illegal immigrants. The population of Eilat is now 10-12% illegal immigrants.
The numbers increase every month.
Many of these immigrants work in the hotel industry. Others in cafes & restaurants, as day-labour, & house-cleaners. But the number of jobs is limited, the number of illegals is not – this town has reached the limit in the number it can absorb.
To be fair, these illegal immigrants are pretty well-behaved, not involved in crime for the most part. But, if there are no jobs, how will they live?
The city has finite resources, we are being overwhelmed.
Just to clarify: The massive influx of foreign workers that is now theatening to change Israeli demographic balance began under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. His decision to actively recruit foreigners to replace Palestinian workers was triggered by the massive rise in Palestinian terror attacks that took place after the signing of the Oslo accords.
The following countries DO NOT award citizenship based on the concept of ” jus soli ” which means born on their soil-
Algeria
Australia
Belgium
Columbia
Czech Republic
Egypt
France
Germany
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kenya
Kuwait
Nigeria
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Rep. of Korea
Saudi Arabia
Sweden
The only problem is the endless hand ringing over the absurd proposition that if you help a person out by offering them employment the are entitled to equity in your home.
More nonsense from anxiety ridden liberals.
MBY, As far as I know France does have jus soli and Germany offers citizenship for foreigners born on German soil if they apply for it before they turn 18.
Eric, In France a child must apply and be approved for citizenship. In Germany only if the mother is German is citizenship acquired. In neither case is citizenship automatically granted because a child is born on the countries soil. That was point. Thanks for the comment and the opportunity it presented to clarify. MBY
MBY, with reference to the acquisition of citizenship in Germany your information is not up to date. As I wrote to you before a foreigner born in Germany can easily get German citizenship under some conditions. Here is the description of the law:
Durch Geburt im Inland wird ein Kind Deutscher, wenn ein Elternteil zu diesem Zeitpunkt seit acht Jahren seinen gewöhnlichen rechtmäßigen Aufenthalt in Deutschland hat und ein unbefristetes Aufenthaltsrecht besitzt (§ 4 Abs. 3 StAG).
Diese Regelung gilt jedoch nur für Kinder, die nach dem 1. Januar 2000 geboren wurden und deren Eltern Ausländer sind, vgl. § 4 Abs. 3 StAG.
(source: http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/rustag/BJNR005830913.html).
If you are not familiar with the German language I will translate it for you:
A child becomes German if one of the parents lives in Germany legally for at least eight years and has a permit for unlimited residency (§ 4 paragraph 3, Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz). This rule applies only for children born after 1 January 2000 and whose parents are foreigners (compare § 4 paragraph 3, Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz).
Older kids have the opportunity to request German citizenship between age 18 and 23 (§ 29 StAG).
Ius soli in France requires that mother and child have to be born in France. (source for France: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatsb%C3%BCrgerschaft#Frankreich)
I’m afraid I have to agree with Menachem.
The critical question one must ask (and it’s the same question motivating the so-called peace talks) is do we (does Israel) want Israel to be a “Jewish State” AND democratic at the same time — which CAN be done. Or is Israel merely going to become some tiny state on the Mediterranean like… Monte Carlo? I do not see how Israel can give up either her Jewish majority or her democratic character. Either way, Israel dies.
Israel must remain Jewish AND democratic. And for this to happen, population / immigration control will have to be implemented. Either a sort of Minimum wage will have to be jacked up in a big way in order to entice Jews to perform these “undesirable jobs” or… a highly controlled immigration process must be enacted.
There is simply no reason that Israel must “be forced” to open her doors to everybody and anybody that wants to immigrate to a very well-off state (meaning: high standard of living).
Israel will have to buckle down and solve this problem, they already have too many to juggle as it is.
This is not just a fight for Jerusalem, it’s a fight for the entire country!
Yes, I don’t live in Israel. But that’s my opinion for what it’s worth.
What are you afraid of?
My name is just as hard to pronounce as yours.
Ms. Freid,
I’m afraid Israel, like MANY of its other issues on its docket will deal with their immigration problem with kid gloves.
All the while getting little/no support from their U.S. allies. All in the name of knee-jerk P C and its counterproductive consequences.
I wish illegal aliens would take it upon themselves to read President Teddy Roosevelt’s speech regarding immigration. If they’re unable to abide, meet the speech’s/America’s intentions and expectations – buh-bye.
“We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an American and assimilates himself to us he shall be treated on an exact equality with every one else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birth-place or origin.”
“But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American. If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn’t doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. . . We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding-house; and we have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people.”
- President Teddy Roosevelt, 1919 (former President at that time)
I am an English Jew. here in the UK, the various governments have got the native populace dependent on social security benefits then invite anti-semitic Poles, Lithuanians and muslims to come and work here. It is a kind of internal ethnic cleansing. BEWARE!
BTW, I’m not surprised Rabin started it all!
So, too, is the U.S. being overrun because companies sought to employ cheap labor and freeze out union workers. It has now reached a critical point, with drug dealers, gangs and the lowest of criminals climbing under and over and scrambling around our so-called fences. They seek a “better” life here. So the U.S. winds up sending billions to Mexico to care for their own, and Mexico sends the lowest of the low to live amongst us and receive our free health care and education so we are caring for them twice.
Like Arizona, you cannot have it both ways. If you don’t want the foreign workers, then don’t hire them. You may enjoy cheap maid service or lawn mowing but you pay for it in others ways – like tax hikes to provide these people with services.
There are no free lunches, folks.
I have zero patience for this issue, where even deciding how to treat someone who broke the law (being an illegal alien is defacto a crime)should be up for discussion.
Once an illegal is identified it is a no brainer that they must be deported, given a certain deadline to leave with their possessions/families,otherwise they will be forced to leave with the clothes on their backs.
Moreover, it is an absolute affront to those who legally go through the process to opine over these lawbreakers!The children are caught in the middle, but that is the fault of the parent’s, certainly not of other law abiding citizens.
When I made aliyah in 2008 I went through a LENGTHY process, despite being the daughter of a long list of Rabbis going back generations!My sons, high level professionals too, went through the same arduous process.
Therefore, how fair is it that legal citizens have to go through hoops, and also absorb those who are lawbreakers?
Besides, Israel is the size of a postage stamp.Let them go elsewhere, there are myriad of countries all over the world capable of handling them.
Enough, cry me a river…….
I could not agree with you more Adina. Israel is not the USA and has no historical precedence for being so. My G-d when one reads about the conditions of “guest workers” in the Arab countries — the Gulf States, Saudi Arabia — their passports are taken from them the instant they arrive, and they effectively become slaves.
Israelis must understand that as close as they are to America in certain cultural ways, they an never be an “America” when it comes to the land and wealth necessary needed to be “sloppy” with this sort of problem.
Tell me, are White Americans entitled to preserve a demographic majority in the USA? Are the European countries, Australia, or New Zealand entitled to maintain a White demographic majority?
American Jews were among the earliest supporters of multiculturalism in America, even helping to set up and fund the NAACP.
Why should Israel be any different than the rest of the world?
Just visiting, Pigmentation has nothing to with it. Jews come in every color of humanity. And as far as ” multiculturalism ” is concerned, there is more of it in Israel than in any other country in the world.
Do your homework before making such accusations. MBY
Are countries entitled to preserve a certain official language? Are they entitled to preserve a certain style of government? Are they entitled to … etc …
The point is if it’s your country, it’s your preferences you are entitled to. You’re not obligated to make foreigners happy, sorry.
What he really believes: ‘Jews have no right to a country of their own in which they create and maintain a culture in line with their traditions’; ‘universalists have every right to dictate that it commit identity suicide.’
The liberal point of view is to be enforced on the unwilling, with the help of the illegal immigrants that the naive, or confused, government, lets in.
Very well said.
Liberalism is a death wish.
Thanks. Grim realities we face today. Everybody busy wishing them away…
@Just visiting asks”Why should Israel be any different than the rest of the world?”
Israel exists to be different from the rest of the world.
What an unbelievably stupid remark. If you are in fact “just visiting,” I suggest you keep walking and don’t turn back.
France has an entire governmental department devoted to one thing and one thing only: finding French words to replace the “onslaught” of English words that arrive via Internet use. Is that “racist?” It may be silly, but they have every right in the world do do this — and believe me, the French take very seriously their “French character” of their country!
In the same way, Israel was from day 1(!) defined as a Jewish State … a “Jewish homeland.”
Israel is not the USA — you must simply get that through your head. Indeed, most countries are not the USA.
We still live in an era of Nation States. The UN is not the titular government of the world. Every country has an inherent right to define their “character” — and for Israel, being a “Jewish Homeland” is the sine qua non of this very small piece of land. Take that away and we’re back to “wandering” — is that what you want? No refuge to turn to if/when anti-Semitism heats up as it is in fact doing so right now? Or perhaps you’ve never felt the sting of anti-Semitism in your life(?)
what just visiting is driving at, i think, is a legitimate point. the preferences of the majority population in israel and france and elsewhere are given a leading role in defining who their countrymen may be, demographic balance, and so forth. yet, defenders of israel support the right of the Israeli majority to remain in the majority forever, but most of them would oppose allowing european-american descendents to have the same right here in the usa.
Israel has a problem that the U.S. does not in this case. Its identity is wrapped up in Judaism, creating the need to have keep a large Jewish population. It cannot absorb a lot of non-Jewish immigrants, legal or not, and keep its identity as a country. Being American is (supposed to be) tied to accepting American political values. It is much easier to adapt to another political system than it is to change one’s faith. No one would expect the latter.
What the heck. We have plenty of company.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_official_religions
until Israel finally resolves the ‘who is a Jew’ issue. Israel cannot maintain itself as a Jewish country. this was a problem for Ben-Gurion and remains a problem. Israel maintains the fiction that a democracy can also be a religious homeland – it cannot. if Israel is a secular Jewish homeland, it still must be able to define ‘who is a jew’ or declare that once it grants citizenship ipso facto the new citizen is a Jew as well as an Israeli – this silliness abounds.
The secular Israelis care not a fig for religion and their ignorance of history is astounding. their children in Israel and abroad are being lost to the Jewish people. their is no need for the Arabs to attack, the Israelis are doing a fine job all by themselves – have a pleasant shabbos.
Parshat Eikev: “What Does Hashem Your G-d Seek from You?”
http://www.ou.org/torah/article/parshat_eikev_5
“And now Israel what does the Hashem your G-d seek from you? Only to fear Hashem your G-d, to go in all of His ways, to love Him, to serve Hashem your G-d with all your heart and all your soul, to observe the commandments of Hashem and His laws that I command you today for you own benefit.” (Devarim 10:12-13)
Well said!
Secular Israelis (who are a minority in Israel by the way, the majority being religious and traditional) have a better Jewish education than diaspora Jews and American Jews in particular who indeed know nothing at all usually and do not feel Jewish for most of them.
At least they speak Hebrew.
That is just flat wrong Leigh. Imagine a 67% majority Muslim America. It will be very different than the Christian one that currently prevails (though it’s Christian nature has been beaten back).
America has the same problem as any other country with Muslims beating down the door.
Religion and culture matter.
Bye, baby Bunting,
Daddy’s gone a-hunting,
Gone to get a bunny skin
To wrap the baby Bunting in
There is no danger to the Jewish majority from the foreign workers either legal or illegal. There are almost 6 millions Jews in Israel with a high birthrate, the highest in the western world (almost 3 children per women) and maybe 250,000 foreign workers, mainly workers and not families = the fact is there are only 1200 children. What is killing Europe is the “family reunion” policy that allows immigrants to bring their families. Israel does not do that. Foreign workers come and go or if they stay they are expelled. 10 years ago, they were much more foreign workers than now by the way.
The problem with the “Sudanese refugees” (in fact economic immigrants from Erithrea) is serious because of social issues, criminality and other stuff. But they do not threaten any Jewish majority.