Israel – The Interior Ministry has refused to allow a Malaysian-born American citizen to immigrate to Israel with his wife, an Israeli citizen who was living overseas, in what appears to be a blatant contravention of the Law of Return.
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The ministry refused the would-be immigrant for having been born in an “enemy state,” although the Jewish Agency recommended accepting him as an immigrant.
I’m being made to feel like an outlaw,” says Syloke Soong, a computer programmer who converted to Judaism in 2001. Soong was forced to enter Israel as a tourist and cannot set up a business here or work, as he had planned to do.
Soong was born to a Christian family in Kuala Lumpur. He left Malaysia for Singapore at the age of 19, gave up his Malaysian citizenship and has not been there for 15 years.
In 2000, Soong moved to the United States, where he joined a Reform Jewish community in Maine
A year later he converted to Judaism and in 2003 he received American citizenship. That year he married Mejah, a psychiatrist who left Israel when she was 5. In 2004, Soong visited Israel on a community trip and was so excited that the community rabbi suggested leaving him here.
In February 2006, the couple applied to immigrate to Israel. Mejah’s request was accepted but Soong’s was rejected, as was his appeal. The Jewish Agency told him the Interior Ministry rejected his application because he had been born in an enemy state. [haaretz]
If she were really Jewish, they both would have the right to immigrate, regardless of his religion, as per the Law of Return. Of course, turns out, neither is Jewish. But this other interesting point is what was said above–they don’t mind bringing in goyim, only former Malaysian goyim.
The Israeli government should not give citizenship based on the fact that he didnt recieve an orthodox conversion. Obviously saying “he is from an enemy state” is ridiculous. LOOK AROUND YOU ISRAEL, almost everyone in your country came from an enemy state.
Anonymous 8:24
God gave Israel to the Jewish people. This man and his wife are not Jewish. Hitler, yemach shmo, also murdered Christians “married” to Jews as well as children from those relationships. That does not make them Jewish. There is no “return” for them-there is only return for Jews who are in exile from Our land.
if this man were in WWII germany, then it is likely that hitler would have murdered him for having undergone a reform conversion.
My understanding is that any person who would have been murdered for being Jewish-Style was to be eligible for escaping that persecution by coming to Israel.
And as such, non-Jews whom Reformism claims to be Jewish, should be eligible.
This man however has yet another claim:
The Chinese people in Malaysia are called the Jews of the Orient
They built up the country yet were turned upon by the natives and others.
He is the son of fundamentalist Christian missionaries from Malaysia.
She is the Indian adopted daughter of American Jews who were Reform affiliated. Her parents lived in Israel for a short time before returning to the US.
Both of the couple are Reform converts.
Israel does not automatically recognize Diaspora conversions and certainly not Reform. Neither of the couple are Jewish k’halacha OR eligible under the Right of Return.
This article is very deceptive.
maybe there is more to the story, like he is a missionary?
Conversions aside, this man may be born in Malaysia, but he’s of Chinese descent. Throughout Jewish history, when was there any animosity against the Jews from the Chinese?
May Hashem speedily overturn the corrupt Israeli government and bring Moshiach now in order to determine who’s Jewish and who’s not and who deserves to have a home in Israel. Definitely not the existing Israeli government who’s selling out Israel to our enemies.
SEND HIM TO LIVE IN RAMALH
i wouldn’t by any means consider this man a “real” convert. according to the flawed law of return, however, he should be granted israeli citizenship. more than anything the law of return needs to be seriously amended. only orthodox conversions should be allowed; not these quickie express reform conversions!
crazy country. ISRAEL will accept the lowest of the lowest real goyim from russia , but will not accept a true convert. PATHETIC
Is this the Jewish agency policy for all Malaysian born Jewish converts? Or is this a concern regarding his conversion?
Woe to the corrupt Jewish government who supports terrorism from the Arabs and giving land to the Arabs but not accepting sincere converts who want to be closer to G-d.
Reform “conversion” doesn’t equal Jewish.