But, as Tom Segev says in today's FT: "Nobody wants to go back and live in Lodz." The full article:
Israeli rush to secure dual nationality By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem Published: June 5 2011 18:23 | Last updated: June 5 2011 18:23
As many as 100,000 citizens of Israel also carry a German passport, according to a survey that sheds light on the continuing demand among Israelis, especially of the younger generation, for a second nationality.
The latest data, revealed by an Israeli periodical last week, has rekindled debate on some of the most sensitive – and longest-running – controversies facing the Jewish state and its citizens.
Most Israeli commentators agree that the clamour for German passports is, above all, a sign of the dramatic improvement in relations between the two countries. Others, however, interpret the findings as evidence that Israelis are unsure about their future and see a second passport as a form of insurance against threats to the state of Israel.
There are no reliable figures on how many Israelis carry a second passport, though the number is certain to be considerable: according to a poll conducted by the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre in 2008, more than 30 per cent of Israelis said they had either applied for a second nationality or were planning to do so. Many have the option of obtaining a second passport because their ancestors hail from countries, especially in Europe, that offer citizenship to later generations.
Having a European passport allows Israelis to settle, work and study more easily in EU member states. They also face shorter queues when flying to European airports – a factor cited repeatedly by citizens with dual nationality.
According to research by Israel’s Eretz Acheret magazine, the demand for German passports far outstrips that for other European countries. It claims that Poland, Romania and Austria – which also had large Jewish populations before the Holocaust – issued 5,000-6,000 passports to Israelis over the past 10 years. Germany, in contrast, hands out about 7,000 passports every year in Israel, though not all are issued for the first time.
Shimon Stein, who served as ambassador to Germany from 2001 to 2007, said such identification with the country that planned the Holocaust would have been “unthinkable 30 years ago”. He added: “The younger generation of Israelis sees [the relationship with Germany] a bit more relaxed. For them, it is almost just another country in Europe.”
Mr Stein dismissed claims that the demand for second passports – from Germany or elsewhere – suggested a lack of confidence in Israel’s future. “The overwhelming majority of Israelis are happy and pleased with the current state and do not consider leaving the country,” he said.
Yet other Israeli analysts were more cautious. Tom Segev, a Jerusalem-based historian who has written widely about Israel, Zionism and the Holocaust, said: “This does reflect a certain degree of uncertainty. Nobody wants to go back and live in Lodz [a Polish city with a large pre-war Jewish community], but people feel it’s good to have a European passport – just in case.”
Writing in the Haaretz newspaper, Gideon Levy said: “Israel is strong and established and ostensibly its passport should be sufficient for its citizens.
“The fact that it is not sufficient for many of them testifies, more than a thousand passports, that something has gone deeply wrong here.”