Israel’s Supreme Court blocks deportation of Ugandan Jew
Justice Isaac Amit issued a temporary injunction against Kibita Yosef’s deportation
The Supreme Court of Israel temporarily blocked the deportation of a Ugandan Jew who sought to immigrate there.
On Thursday, Justice Isaac Amit issued a temporary injunction against Kibita Yosef’s deportation, Haaretz reported. Last month, the Interior Ministry ruled not to recognise Yosef, whose visa expired Thursday, and his community as Jewish for purposes of immigration. The injunction said the ministry had to explain its decision by July 29, according to Haaretz.
The Ugandan Jewish community, also called the Abayudaya, was converted to Judaism under the auspices of U.S. Conservative rabbis and has approximately 2,000 members.
Last month’s decision outraged the Conservative movement, which submitted the petition that led to Thursday’s injunction. The movement said the decision violated the Law of Return, which gives anyone who has a Jewish grandparent, is married to a Jew or has converted to Judaism the right to move to Israel.
Though not recognised by Israel’s Charedi Chief Rabbinate, the Abayudaya were recognised by the Jewish Agency for Israel in 2016 for the purposes of the Law of Return, seemingly opening a path for its members to immigrate to Israel.
However, the Abuyudaya have struggled to obtain recognition to do so. In December, Israel denied a visa application by a member of the community to study at a yeshiva in Israel, leading to accusations of racism.
Yosef, who is staying at a kibbutz in southern Israel, is the first Ugandan Jew to try to move to Israel, community leader Rabbi Gershom Sizomu told JTA earlier this month. At that time, Sizomu called on Israel to accord his community the same rights as other Jewish communities while emphasising that Ugandan Jews are not looking to immigrate to Israel en masse.
“We as a Jewish community need to be treated like any other Jewish community in the Diaspora,” he said.
Listen to the latest episode of the Jewish Views:
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
