US-born MK to deal with Anglo aliya issues

In his new capacity as a member of the Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs committee, Maryland native MK Dov Lipman (Yesh Atid) will focus on the needs and worries of current and prospective immigrants from English-speaking countries, he said Sunday.

The committee will be headed by Yesh Atid MK Yoel Rozbozov, who immigrated to Israel from Birobidzhan, Russia, in 1991; but Lipman, who earlier this year became the first American-born MK since 1984, was given a free hand by his party to deal with issues of importance to Anglos.

“I have spent my first month in the Knesset learning about the many challenges facing English speaking immigrants through meetings with community leaders and through my Sunday morning ‘constituent hours,’” said Lipman, who moved to Beit Shemesh from the US seven years ago. The freshman lawmaker said he has a clear understanding of issues he’d like to see the committee deal with, including government services, educational needs and employment.

“In addition,” Lipman said, “I believe that the time has come for an increase in Zionist education in the Diaspora, including a refocusing on the Hebrew language, and hope to use the tools within the committee to work towards these goals.”

Lipman, who chairs the Knesset Lobby for Job Integration in the Haredi Community, was also tapped to sit on the important House Committee, which deals with the parliament’s rules of procedure and the legislative process.