‘Refuge for Jews in distress’

ISRAELI Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told ministers on Monday that Israel must focus on helping Jewish refugees escaping the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The State of Israel was founded as a state that is the safest place in the world for Jews,” Bennett said at meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Aliyah and Integration, according to a statement from his office. “This is the heart of its purpose; therefore, we will focus on this, of course.”

“Israel is a refuge for Jews in distress,” he said, citing other waves of Jewish immigration in the past such as that from former Soviet Union countries, Ethiopia and Yemen.

“This is our purpose. The State of Israel has done this more than once in its history and we will carry out this sacred task this time as well.”

Bennett said the country is facing a “historic opportunity” and that, led by Immigration and Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, it will focus on two key goals.

The first, he said, was “to reach Jews in distress, to reach them in the field and make things easier for them,” so that they do not face a tangle of bureaucracy when they arrive in Israel. The second, according to Bennett, would be successful integration into Israeli society, so that those who come will encourage their remaining family members in Ukraine to follow.

TIMES OF ISRAEL