??Strange story (and commments) on the
need to move Canadian jewry to Isreal??!!

Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman (Ancho Gosh) < Lieberman seeks to encourage aliyah of Russian Jews from Canada By Amiram Barkat and Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondents Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman is seeking to involve the immigration support agency Nativ in persuading Russian-speaking Jews in Canada to immigrate to Israel. The semi-covert agency Nativ is preparing to expand its activities to North America, sources within the organization told Haaretz. Since its founding, Nativ has channeled its efforts solely towards encouraging Russian-speaking Jews from the former Soviet Union to immigrate to Israel. In light of the fall of the Soviet Union and due to the sharp drop in aliyah in recent years, the scope of the group's activities has significantly decreased. Lieberman has sought to expand the organization's operations since his ministry assumed overall responsibility for Nativ as part of Yisrael Beiteinu's coalition agreement with Kadima. Prior to Lieberman's assuming office, Nativ operated under the auspices of the Prime Minister's Office. The minister has instructed Nativ emissaries abroad to concentrate their efforts on Jewish emigres from the former Soviet Union who have made their homes in other parts of the world. A panel comprised jointly of government ministers and Jewish Agency officials resolved that Nativ would not expand its operations into North America for fear that it would harm Israel's diplomatic standing. Instead, Nativ would limit its work only to Germany, to where over 200,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union have immigrated in the last 20 years. The decision was met with harsh criticism from the Jewish community in Germany, whose leadership objected to not being consulted on the matter. In addition, the German government protested the move, albeit quietly. Recently, Lieberman revisited the North America issue, placing a particular emphasis on the large Russian-speaking Jewish community currently living in the Montreal area. Having drawn the appropriate lessons from their brush with Jewish leaders in Germany, officials in Jerusalem are moving ahead with encouraging aliyah though this time in concert with local Jewish organizations in Montreal. Nativ representatives will be allowed to pursue its aliyah-related activities in the Montreal area under certain conditions. In response, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs issued a statement which read: "Nativ does not operate in North America."