The Nutcases of the world come to Israel

B”H

I have been living in Israel for many years and thus, I am unable to count al the nutcases I have met during that time. Especially Gentiles from all over the world keep on coming to Israel. I don’t mean those crazy Christians who suddenly get the Jerusalem Syndrome. By the way, most people getting the syndrome have already arrived nuts. American or whatever Christians who suddenly heard the voice of J. telling them to come to Israel. And then they come, usually move into cheap hostels in Jerusalem’s Arab Quarter and keep on staying. Thanks to the Israeli Immigration Police deporting many of those loonies waiting for the second coming of J. 

But Christianity and all kinds of voices are not the only reason why the nuts of the world come to Israel. Many of them have serious problems in their home countries and just run away. For whatever reason, they end up in Israel and, in the worst case, they are even prepared to convert to Judaism as soon as the visa runs out and deportation becomes a serious threat.

 

I am not going to announce the exact location but, today, I happened to see another case. A German woman in her late 40ies was walking around at a Jewish place and even for German standards she behaved strange. When some Israelis asked her where she actually comes from in Germany, she refused telling them. She claimed that the Germans only made her suffer and she doesn’t want to talk about this country.

I knew that the woman wasn’t Jewish. I could just tell easily but refrained from a conversation with her. Actually she didn’t know what she wants in Israel. She lives in Jerusalem but wants to study in Zfat. Music, I guess. A Yemenite Jew asked her for sex and another Jew from Tel Aviv stole her money.

“I always thought that the Jews are great people but here in Israel I got to know them and many are evil”, she told those Israelis who had asked her where she came from.

Then she asked for a place where she can convert to Judaism. Not that she is interested in religion but what she is interested in is a new country and getting a new ID. Such people don’t even take into consideration that Israel has introduced much stricter legal regulations for those coming from abroad and are looking for a conversion course (Kurs Giur). Today a potential candidate doesn’t only have to deal with the Rabbanut (Chief Rabbinate) but also with an extension committee run by the Ministry of the Interior. And it is the ministry deciding whether you will get a visa and thus even be allowed to stay for the course.

Israel wants to remain a Jewish state and not attract all kinds of foreigners having problems in their own country and then think about staying here. Our small country faces enough difficulties and we neither have the capacity nor are we in the mood to accept all kinds of people from different countries who just don’t belong to Israel. I am not talking about the normal regular converts or tourists but about those people who first should get their lives into order and do this in their countries and not in Israel.