[Iran]

Iranian Jews say no to Israeli offer

Press TV
10 July 2007

Envoys of Iran's Jewish community have stressed that Iranian Jews will never sacrifice their national identity for Zionist incentives.

Some Zionist newspapers have asserted that the occupation regime's agencies are seeking to persuade Iranian Jewish families to immigrate to the occupied lands by offering cash incentives and social benefits.

The benefits include free education at universities and large amounts of loan to buy houses, cars and other home appliances.

The sources said that the Zionist regime has offered to pay $60,000 to every Jewish family which moves to Israel.

This is while the Israeli dailies have admitted the failure of the scheme, saying Iranian Jews have shown no desire to leave their motherland.

Iranian Jews representative in the Majlis, Moris Motamed, and chairman of Tehran's Jews Assembly Siamak Mare-Sedq have reacted to the Zionist regime's proposal.

The two envoys said that Iranian Jews adore their national identity and culture, and would never fall for the ill-intended Zionist offer.

BS/BGH

Source: http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=16019§ionid=351020101

Israel to Iranian Jews: Immigration At Any Price

Eli Bradenstein, Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv
2007-07-08

Only a few months ago, the fund decided to grant an incentive of $5,000 to every new immigrant, but this did not persuade Iranian Jews, many of whom are comfortably off, to leave.

The fund has now decided to double the sum for every new immigrant, and to offer $10,000 in the hope that it will persuade Iranian Jews to come to Israel.

If the Jews do decide to come to Israel as whole families, they will also receive thousands more dollars: $2,000 for a head of family and $1,500 for a mother and each of her children. More than $1 million has been invested in the fund, and it is operated by means of one of the major aliyah organizations in Israel. Unconnected with the grants, the new immigrants also receive the regular absorption basket like other immigrants, as well as mortgages on easy terms.

The news of the grant has been published on an Israeli Internet site in Persian, which has been launched in order to convey vital information on the process of aliyah. It has also been reported on Israel Radio's Persian-language service, and is being passed on by means of various organizations and relatives to Jews in Iran.

Some 20,000 Jews live in Iran, mostly in Tehran. It is the largest remaining Jewish community in the Arab states. According to reports, many of them are comfortably off and free to practise their religion and provide religious education for their children. Given that, most are not interested in leaving Iran. However, Iran's Jews visit Israel a lot to see their relatives, and Israelis of Iranian origin pay family and business visits there. Iranian Jews who live in the United States also make frequent visits to family in Iran.

"In contrast to the previously laughable sum, we are now talking about a sizeable sum, and if a whole family decides to make aliyah, they will receive tens of thousands of dollars - a serious sum that could really persuade Jews to leave there and come to Israel, and assist in their absorption here," Ma'ariv was told by sources that are dealing with Iranian immigrants.

Source: http://www.cjp.org/page.html?ArticleID=148952

Israel luring Iranians with cash

Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
2007-07-08

An expatriate group of Iranian Jewish donors is behind a $1 million fund offering $10,000 to each Jew willing to leave the Islamic Republic for the Jewish state, according to media reports.

The fund was offering $5,000 per immigrant several months ago, but sparse interest prompted the sponsors to up the ante. For an entire Jewish family the cash incentive is $60,000, in addition to the standard aliyah benefits given to Jewish immigrants to Israel.

Few of Iran’s 20,000 Jews have taken advantage of the offer.

Source: http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/102914.html

Iranian Jews refuse cash 'bribe' to move to Israel

Jenka Soderberg, International Middle East Media Center
July 17, 2007

Group of Jewish Iranians

The Israeli government promised to provide a package of housing and jobs for the twenty-five-thousand Iranian Jews. A special fund created by Israel supporters promised a ten-thousand-dollar cash award for any Iranian Jew who moved to Israel.

The Society of Iranian Jews dismissed this move as a bribe. Iran's sole Jewish member of parliament, Morris Motamed, said the offer was insulting to Jewish Iranians.

Instead of taking the pro-Israel group up on its offer, the community of Iranian Jews instead took a loyalty pledge to their home country of Iran.

Iran's Jewish population has dwindled from around eighty-thousand at the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution. But, it remains the largest of any Middle Eastern country apart from Israel. Jews have lived in Iran since at least 700 B-C.

Source: http://www.imemc.org/article/49494

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