Monday, July 23, 2007

Wither Zion?? Sharp surge in Israeli applicants seeking German citizenship

"Last year saw a sharp, 50 percent surge in the number of Israelis who obtained German citizenship, federal statisticians said Monday as they released naturalization figures.

Out of 124,830 people who renounced their old citizenship in 2006 and became Germans, 4,313 were from Israel, the Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden said.

The overall number gained 7 per cent compared to 2005, rising for the first time since an upwards spike in 2000 following law changes.

Foreigners can apply to be naturalized as Germans after eight years as legal immigrants, but Germany does not grant them citizenship unless they legally abandon their old nationality.

Germany is home to the fastest growing Jewish community in Europe, thanks in part to a policy that allows Jewish citizens from the former Soviet Union to apply for German citizenship."

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