From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 6, 2025
Controversial bill to block non-Jews with Jewish grandparents from immigrating temporarily shelved
Zev Stub is the Times of Israel's Diaspora Affairs correspondent.
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation has put off its vote on a bill that would amend the Law of Return to strip people with Jewish grandparents of the right to immigrate to Israel and obtain citizenship.
The controversial bill seeks to redefine who is a Jew for the purpose of immigrating to Israel. It would reverse a 1970 modification to Israel’s Law of Return that allows any grandchild of a Jew to immigrate even if they themselves are not Jewish.
The bill would create chaos for new immigrants from Russia, where the majority of new immigrants have come from in recent years, of whom many are not considered Jewish according to religious law.
A spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin tells The Times of Israel the bill will be reintroduced in three weeks.
The Times of Israel Community.