Parents of pregnant woman, bride, others denied entry to Israel

First-degree relatives of immigrants in Israel who are not Israeli citizens are facing tremendous difficulties in being with their children or parents for the most important life-cycle events of all, or to provide crucial care at the most vulnerable times for their relatives. 

The Jerusalem Post has learned of parents of a woman poised to give birth in ten days, and the parents of a 20-year old bride scheduled to get married next month, who have been repeatedly denied entry into Israel by the Population and Immigration Authority, due to policies 

In another case, the daughter of an 95-year old Israeli woman about to undergo heart surgery has been refused entry to Israel five times. 

These are just some of hundreds of recent examples in which the state has barred immigrants from seeing their parents or children at the most crucial junctures of life, leaving many angry and distraught at their treatment by the country they chose to live in. 

In numerous cases, the applications are rejected in a matter of hours, and in some cases barely a few minutes by the authority. 

The Permits Committee of the Population and Immigration Authority under the Interior Ministry is responsible for approving or denying these requests and says it is acting according to government policy to limit the entrance of foreign nationals. 

The authority’s website says foreign nationals may apply for an entry permit if they are spouses of Israeli citizens or parents of a child who is an Israeli citizen, for various reasons including pregnancy, a funeral, or other humanitarian necessity, as can anyone else for the same reasons.

Nicole Grubner, 32, who made aliyah eight years ago, is due to give birth in 10 days time. 

Her parents applied for entry permits to Israel through an Israeli consulate in Canada and were rejected several times, and also applied directly to the Permits Committee of the Population and Immigration Authority which also denied their request. Nicole Grubner. (Credit: Courtesy)

Neither Grubner nor her partner have any first degree relatives in Israel and Grubner says that she feels scared by the prospect of giving birth and becoming a mother for the first time without the presence of her parents.

“A birth is a physically and emotionally challenging experience, especially when becoming new parents,” she said.

“It’s frustrating and scary, to go through a life changing event without support or assistance, and it’s disgraceful the government is preventing people from having immediate family to help them at such times.”

Ettie Stein, 95, is an Israeli citizen and immigrant who made aliyah in 2002 from South Africa when her children moved to Australia at the same time. Ettie Stein, 95, and her granddaughter Mandi Brandriss. (Credit: MANDI BRANDRISS)

Her granddaughter Mandi Brandriss who is also an immigrant to Israel told the Post that Stein has experienced ill health over the last two months and recently spent the night in a hospital emergency ward due to breathing difficulties. 

Stein now needs surgery to replace her aortic valve and is scheduled to go into hospital on Monday for the procedure. 

Stein’s daughter who lives in Australia has made five separate requests from the Permits Committee of the Population and Immigration Authority for an entry permit into Israel to see her elderly mother, the first of which was on March 16, all of which have been rejected. 

The authority said in response to one of the applications saying “Your request does not reflect a humanitarian need or a special personal need that justifies granting approval of your request.”

Brandriss said her mother provided all the necessary documentation to the Population and Immigration Authority, including her own birth certificate, a letter from the surgeon performing the surgery, and a letter from Stein’s family doctor testifying to the importance of having her daughter in the country before and after the procedure. 

“It just seems that there’s no humanity,” said Brandriss, adding that her family is desperate for the government to change its policy regarding emergency situations.

“I cant even imagine the pain my mother is going through. I myself have had sleepless nights about it, it’s heart wrenching to think you can’t go and see your mother, when next week she might not even be here any more.”

In another case, Javah Levy, a 20-year old immigrant from Spain, is scheduled to get married next month. 

Both Levy’s parents and those of her fiancé, who also made aliyah from Spain, have applied several times to the Population and Immigration Authority for an entry permit to be present for their children’s wedding but have also been repeatedly denied. 

Levy said they could hold the wedding back in Spain so their parents can attend, but noted that all of her grandparents, uncles, aunts and friends now live in Israel and would not be able to attend the wedding abroad. 

She said she was now stuck in a terrible dilemma, in that the couple can decide on the one hand to get married in the presence of their parents but without all her other friends and relatives, or to get married in Israel with everyone else but without their parents. 

Levy added that with the May 6 wedding date rapidly approaching, and the likely need of their parents to quarantine on arrival, they now have only around ten days to make a decision as to where to hold the wedding. 

“It’s really frustrating, you make aliyah because its your country, but without knowing the language and without having a home. But when you get married you at least want to have your parents there,” said Levy. 

“It’s very sad for everyone. Weddings are celebration, but I don’t want to remember all my life that no one danced with me and I got married alone if we have to go to Spain to be married, or on the other hand to marry without my parents.”

Former MK Dov Lipman who has been working for months to help both Israelis and relatives of Israelis caught in such situations to get into Israel, condemned the government’s attitude towards those requesting entry for humanitarian reasons.

“We have forgotten what it means to be a Jewish state. Actually to be a human state,” said Lipman. 

“I support rules to prevent the spread of corona – but at this point we have all the technology and resources to make sure that it doesn’t spread. And not allowing parents to come to their children’s weddings or to help their daughter’s with childbirth is inhumane.”

Lipman said he called on the government to immediately create a mechanism to address the crisis. 

The Population and Immigration Authority said in response that the criteria for applying for entry permits were “transparent to everyone” and published online. 

“The decision as to whether the request fulfils the criteria or not lies with the members of the committee and not the applicant or journalists,” the authority said. 

“The policy of the government is still for limited entry for foreign nationals into Israel and the committee is acting in accordance with it.”

Lipman labelled the response “a disgrace” and said it demonstrated “all that can be wrong with government.”

Said Lipman “That is not a humane response. Where is the heart? Where is the soul? Where is the caring? Where is the recognizing that people are suffering for no reason now that there are vaccinations. I don’t accept this and no one should. I and others involved won’t rest until we get this policy changed.”