Israeli Immigration Policy at Odds: Emerging Jewish Communities and the “Return” of the Converts from Latin America

Abstract

This article demonstrates how current Israeli return policy is becoming increasingly exclusive in the face of the emergence of convert communities in developing countries. While retaining the traditional objective to secure Jewish dominancy, the return policy actively favors Western and Orthodox ethnoreligious affiliation. Critical policy analysis illustrates how the policy is currently implemented not only to limit and regulate the potential mass immigration of new converts from emerging Jewish communities in Latin America, but also to ensure their Orthodox affiliation.