My girlfriend is Black, Native American, Puerto Rican and Jewish. Her mother is Jewish, which technically makes her 100% Jewish in the eyes of Jewish law (right? I’m a little fuzzy on this). She doesn’t identify very strongly as a Jew, and she disagrees strongly with the policies of the Israeli government. We recently had a son, who probably won’t be going to the synagogue too often (unless he chooses to later on), who is also “legally” Jewish.
The question is: since they are both eligible for Israeli citizenship and have the right to land, couldn’t they claim that land? And since they don’t want to live in the Occupied Territories, couldn’t they take their parcel of some settlement and give it to a Palestinian family? Or rent it for $1 a year?
I was hoping we could avoid The Debate and just tackle this somewhat technical question.
Firstly, yes, your son is Jewish because his mother is Jewish
Secondly, no Jew has a “right to the land.” They have a right to immigrate to Israel. They would then have to buy land (whereever in Israel) just like anywhere else. They don’t give away land for free.
You could certainly sell that land to anyone you want (Palestinian, Jew, Martian) for any price you want.
My understanding is that, under the current law, only Orthodox Jews can claim immediate citizenship upon Israeli immigration. Everyone else must go through a naturalization procedure similar to how the U.S. admits new citizens.
I was (am) under the impression that very few citizens of Israel actually own land. It was explained to me that property ownership by individuals was frowned upon by the socialist kibbutz/collective spirit of a young Israel.
There is some privately owned real estate but those lots, plots and farms were owned before the founding of the nation, IIRC.
Yes and no. You’re correct about agricultural lands - either they’re owned by Kibbutzim, or in looser but still more communal arraingement (i.e. everybody owns their own plot, but the whole town is obliged to chip in with everyone elses farmwork; or that every member of the community owns “stock” in the fields). There are very few purely private, American style farms and ranches. I guess it’s because of Israel’s Socialist past, but it could also be because Israelis see agriculture as an industry - and a rather hi-tech one at that - or simply because there’s so little open arable land in the country.
On the other hand, most Israelis own their own apartment or house. Rentals are very rare, and are mainly used by students, new immigrants and such. Easy long-term mortgages and stringent government protection of renters rights - which make building apartment buildings for rentals not worth developers’ money - make it easier to buy than to rent.