Protecting the Rights of Converts and Immigrants to Become Israeli Citizens and Enjoy Equal Rights through our Legal Aid Center for Olim (LACO)
Israel actively encourages Jewish immigration (Aliyah) and has absorbed over one million immigrants over the past 20 years. For many immigrants (olim), making Aliyah is a smooth process, particularly for olim who are white, from western countries, and have very straightforward proof of Jewish lineage. However, there are many immigrants who face severe difficulties in immigrating to their new homeland. In part, these difficulties reflect the expected challenges of immigration, such as language and cultural barriers, and a lack of informal support systems in the new country. Unfortunately, there are also specific challenges resulting from how Israel defines who is entitled to immigrate, who a “Jew” actually is, and the varying approaches of the agencies responsible for the implementation of these policies.
Under the Law of Return, the right to immigrate to Israel is supposed to be granted to anyone whose status as a Jew is universally acknowledged, people with at least one Jewish grandparent, spouses of Jews, and converts to Judaism. However, immigrants in all but the first category often face bureaucratic harassment, particularly from the powerful Ministry of the Interior, which is controlled by ultra-Orthodox political parties. These olim are often disregarded by an overloaded bureaucratic system that can take months or years to deal with their cases, whether issuing work permits, expediting family reunification, or confirming Jewish status. During this period, they may be deprived of access to the considerable governmental assistance that is the basic right of all Jewish immigrants, such as direct grants, income insurance, access to healthcare, monthly child supplements, assistance in housing, employment, and language immersion courses.
Lacking the know-how and financial means to navigate a complicated and hostile bureaucracy, these vulnerable newcomers are at the mercy of a system that is effectively creating an entire community of second-class citizens. As a consequence, many struggle to keep themselves afloat financially, and can quickly slip into a vicious cycle of poverty. The only way out of poverty is to resolve the bureaucratic issues that obstruct access to employment and immigrant rights. The Legal Aid Center for Olim (LACO), established in 1992 after Operation Solomon, is the only place they can turn to for this kind of help and support. LACO, the only program of its kind, offers vulnerable immigrants the best immigration lawyers in the country and other forms of support to navigate the red tape of governmental bureaucracy, effectively replacing frustration and hopelessness with a sense of promise, opportunity, and dignity, by helping olim resolve difficult legal problems, such as securing work permits and healthcare, all preconditions for economic and social integration in Israel.
Around 80% of LACO’s clients live below Israel’s median income level, including a substantial number of humanitarian cases of extreme distress such as battered women, widows facing deportation, and people referred to LACO by welfare agencies.
LACO’s expertise lies in a variety of areas: registration of Jewish status and citizenship, problems resulting from poor documentation in an immigrant’s country of origin (a major issue in Ethiopia), complex family situations (such as remarriage or adoption), family reunification, and dealing with the general inefficiency and lack of accountability of governmental bureaucracy. LACO’s accessible legal aid and counseling services are provided by experienced lawyers with strong legal backgrounds in immigration and human rights issues. Under the direction of Australian-born attorney, Nicole Maor, LACO’s staff is composed of individuals who have dedicated their lives to supporting and advancing equality for immigrants in Israel.
Thanks to IRAC:
Reform and Conservative converts are recognized under the Law of Return and are eligible for Aliyah.
Humanitarian considerations carry more weight in cases of immigrant women who are victims of domestic abuse and are seeking permanent residency in Israel.
Non-Jewish partners in same-sex marriages are recognized under the Law of Return.