Russian Jews fearful they will not be able to leave if Jewish Agency is shut

25 July 2022, 3:36 pm

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Left, Prime Minister Yair Lapid heads a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, on July 17, 2022. Right, Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, July 1, 2021. (Abir SULTAN / POOL / AFP; Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian Jews fear they will not be able to leave the country if Moscow goes ahead with threats to shut down the Jewish Agency.

Russian Jews tell Channel 12 that they fear a return to the days of the Soviet Union when Jews faced great difficulty in leaving the country and immigrating to Israel.

Yesterday Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned Russia that closing the Jewish Agency there would negatively affect ties between the two countries.

He has reportedly tasked the Foreign Ministry with drawing up specific courses of action that Israel could take should Russia go through with its stated plans to shut down the organization’s operations, including recalling the Israeli ambassador to Moscow, more bellicose public statements against Russia, and stepping up Israeli support for Ukraine.