Law of Return: Zionist ideology was premised upon the
reconstitution of the Jews as a free, self-determining nation in
their own state. In recognition of this aspiration, Israel’s
Declaration of Independence declared that “The State of Israel
will be open to the immigration of Jews and for the ingathering
of exiles from all countries of their dispersion.” In 1950, this
principle was given shape as the Law of Return, enshrining this
Zionist principle within Israeli law. ** Read the Text of the
Law of the Return - CLICK HERE ** The Law of Return did not step
from ideology alone; it was also a practical measure. In the
wake of the Holocaust, the first act of the new Israeli
government was to abolish all restrictions on Jewish
immigration.Israel, the government declared, would provide Jews
the world over with a haven from antisemitism. The Law of Return
has also functioned as a means of maintaining a Jewish majority
within the State of Israel by promoting aliyah. During the 1940s
and 50s, Israel’s population bala