Law of Return

The Law of Return (Hebrew: חוק השבות, romanized: ḥok ha-shvūt) is an Israeli law, initially passed in 1950 and extended in 1970, giving all Jews, persons with at least one Jewish grandparent, and their spouses, legal rights to enter, reside in, and acquire citizenship of, the State of Israel. The 1950 law declared that "every Jew has the right to come to this country as an oleh [immigrant]". The legislature of Israel sought by the law to give effect to a key objective of the Zionist movement in the wake of the Holocaust: to establish Israel as a Jewish state in which all Jews could live. In 1970, the rights of entry, settlement and citizenship were extended: to any person with at least one Jewish grandparent, and to the spouse of any such person, whether or not such persons were considered Jewish under strict (Orthodox) interpretations of Jewish religious law. However, a person who has previously been a Jew but has voluntarily changed their religion is ineligible (this ineligibility rule applies regardless of religious teachings as to whether or not the person remains Jewish in such circumstances).

On the day of arrival in Israel, or occasionally at a later date, persons entering under the law receive a certificate confirming their oleh status. The entrant then has three months to decide whether they wish to become a citizen; they can renounce or pledge to renounce their other citizenship(s) during this time.