Last update - 00:00 19/09/2007
Gov't okays funding private Aliyah agencies in addition Jewish Agency
By Anshel Pfeffer
The Knesset approved Sunday a precedent-setting proposal to fund independent agencies that promote immigration, despite ongoing pressure from the Jewish Agency which currently holds the monoply on these services.
The decision authorizes a fixed budgetary allocation for independent aliyah organizations, effectively ending the Jewish Agency?s monopoly on bringing new immigrants to Israel.
The decision was originally set to be voted upon over a month ago, but was initially postponed due to a heavy agenda. The postponement allowed Jewish Agency Chairman, Zeev Bielsky to put pressure on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to cancel the decision or at least to make major changes to it and for the last month, the decision was taken off the cabinet?s agenda.
The two organizations that will enjoy the government funding are Nefesh B?Nefesh, which is active in bringing olim from North America and Britain and Ami which is active in France. While the Agency has a strategic cooperation agreement with Ami, there is intensive rivalry with Nefesh B?Nefesh, which over the past three years has been instrumental in bringing a large majority of the olim from North America.
In 2005, then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon authorized funding for the two independent organizations on a temporary trial basis and the new decision will make the funding part of the Absorption Ministry's permanent budget. Absorption Minister Yaakov Edri has made aliyah from the Western countries his strategic objective and favors using the services of Nefesh B?Nefesh.
Bielsky demanded that the decision should at least contain a declarative clause underlining the Agency's central role in the aliyah efforts and that the Agency would take part in deciding the criteria for funding any independent ventures. These demands were turned down and as of Wednesday night, the cabinet is expected to authorize at the beginning of next week the funding for the independent organizations.
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