Jewish Agency Caught in Ukraine ‘Evacuation’ Plan Leak Drama
Image by getty images
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has accused the Jewish Agency for Israel of leaking a plan to evacuate Jews from Eastern Ukraine, in the wake of ongoing political crisis and violence.
The plans were reported in the Ukrainian media, Israel’s Channel 2 reported Wednesday evening. The plans are no longer viable, according to the report.
Israel’s ambassador to the Ukraine, Reuven Din El, called the leaks “harmful and dangerous-politically, operationally, and to our image,” and make Ukrainian Jews subject to charges of dual loyalty.
“I would like to express my deep shock from the publication of plans that were supposed to be secret,” he wrote in a telegram, according to Channel 2.
The Jewish Agency has denied responsibility for the leaks.
The Jewish Agency told JTA on Tuesday that there is no mass evacuation planned.
The Jewish Agency started a hotline earlier this month for Ukrainian Jews wishing to move to Israel, which streamlines the immigration process, a senior Jewish Agency official told JTA.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
