(Jewish Group) Their country suddenly a pariah, Jews look for ways to leave Russia
“You’ll be calling until the mashiach comes,” one woman responded this week to a frantic query about embassy appointments on a Facebook group for Russians planning to move to Israel.
While Russians seeking to make the move, known as aliyah, may not have to wait until the messiah arrives, they are facing extended delays even as their country sinks into crisis because of the war their president, Vladimir Putin, launched last month against neighboring Ukraine.
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, wait times for appointments at the Israeli embassies have grown recently and now can be up to eight months. That is proving a challenge as many Jews there are making abrupt plans to leave their longtime home, driven by Putin’s strict crackdown on freedom of speech, shutdown of independent media outlets and criminalization of opposition to the war, as well as a wave of international sanctions on Russia that could drive many in the country into poverty.
“Everyone who has any hope of obtaining citizenship and leaving Russia is trying to do it,” an artist in Moscow told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The artist, who went through the immigration process before the war and will soon leave for Israel, requested anonymity because of fear around speaking to the press in Russia right now.
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