Jewish Agency flip-flops on aliyah from Belarus

The Jewish Agency instructed its emissary in Belarus to stop its activities with regard to promoting aliyah The Jerusalem Post has learned.

After the Post asked for a response , another letter was sent to the representative who was then instructed to “freeze” the cancellation of activities relating to promoting aliyah, according to two sources.

It is unclear why the agency changed its decision and why the agency asked to cancel or freeze the activities.

One assumption could be the close ties between Russia and Belarus and the tension between the Jewish Agency and Russia due to its activity in the country, which Russia’s Justice Ministry claimed to be of a foreign agent and that it should be liquidated.

The agency has been brought to trial in a Moscow court since August, a trial that is continually postponed.

According to the Jewish Data Bank, there are 8,500 members of the core Jewish population in Belarus and 33,000 eligible to make aliyah under the Law of Return. Sources in the agency and in organizations that work with it have confirmed hat the initial message was sent to the Belarus delegation, as was the letter sent during the weekend, which asked them to hold off on the cancellation.

The Jewish Agency responded at the request of the Post that “there is no change in the work or policies of the Jewish Agency in Belarus and no activity that was planned to take place has been canceled.” The agency’s spokeswoman added in a written comment that “the Jewish Agency continues to carry out educational activities and take care of [future] immigrants throughout the country and it helps anyone who wants to immigrate to Israel, as it has done in previous years.”