MOSCOW - Russian-Israeli business tycoon Lev Leviev said Wednesday that Israel was unsuccessful in absorbing the mass Russian immigration, adding that many of the immigrants are leaving the country.
Leviev himself left Israel recently and transferred his business to London. The tycoon made the comments to Israeli journalists after the celebratory opening of a new food and aid distribution center for needy Jews in Moscow, run by the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, which Leviev heads.
Leviev criticized successive Israeli government's handling of the Russian aliyah, saying "aliyah to Israel does not need to be based on [fleeing] difficulty, but rather on an ethical decision emanating from a connection to Judaism and the Jewish people," he said. "They should have acted in accordance with the idea of bringing people of a high intellectual level. They should have worked in a far more professional manner."
Leviev was responding to a journalist's question as to whether he is encouraging Jews to remain in former Soviet states through his activities in the Jewish community in Russia.
"Our job is to ensure that Jews here have community life," he said. "The minute they no longer have a connection to Judaism, why should they come to Israel at all? In Germany they receive more, also in Austria and the U.S., so why go to Israel?"
Leviev also criticized the activities of international Jewish organizations in Russia, saying "American Jews only give advice."
The billionaire praised outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying his two terms in office saw religious tolerance. "As far as everything related to faith and freedom of religion for all the nations here, he was a wonderful leader," he said. "In each statement, he encouraged Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, and always said that peoples must respect each other."
"We should be proud that the leader of such a large country respects and appreciates Jews," said Leviev. "There is no bureaucracy and we get approvals as necessary."
Leviev rejected criticism alleging that the ties between the federation and the Kremlin are too close, saying "We don't have the support of the Kremlin and we don't need protection," he said, "but when the president comes to inaugurate a the Jewish center, the prime minister comes here to light Hannukah candles, and every year the mayor lights a Hannukiyah, it points to a very warm attitude towards Jews."
