Okay so here is something im looking for help with. I am NOT Jewish, i was raised as a Catholic and i converted to Christianity, i no longer practice or follow my Christian faith, i also have no family from Israel, my family background is from Mexico. I just wanted to make all of this clear incase this kind of info needed to known. I already know about Aliyah but being that i am not Jewish i dont think that is of any help to me (unless of course i misunderstood what Aliyah is) so my question is, How can i relocate from Los Angeles, Ca. to Israel? im specifically interested in a city called Raanana since i heard it's similar to California. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
dandyl2009-09-29T00:11:37Z
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To answer you, one does not have to be Jewish to get Israeli citizenship.,Two of the most common misconceptions about Israel are “only Jews can be citizens of Israel”, and “only Jews can naturalize and become Israeli citizens”. Non-Jews can acquire Israeli nationality in one of five ways. 1. Nationality by residence in Israel
Subject to certain qualifications, this section of the law grants Israeli citizenship to former Palestinian citizens who are currently residents of Israel and have lived in Israel since its creation on May 14, 1948, or have entered Israel legally between that time and July 14, 1952, the date the Nationality Law went into effect.
2. Nationality by birth
Nationality by reason of birth is given to any person whose father or mother was an Israeli national at the time of his birth. This provision holds true regardless of where the person in question may happen to have been born.
3. Naturalization by birth on Israeli territory in addition to 5 years immediate prior residence in Israel.
This provision grants Israeli nationality to persons who are born on Israeli territory who meet these qualifications: apply for Israeli citizenship between their 18th and 21st birthdays, have 5 consecutive years of residence in Israel immediately prior to filing a request for citizenship, have no criminal convictions for violation of security regulations, and have not been sentenced to jail for 5 years or more for violation of any other type of law.
4. Naturalization
A person 18 years of age or older may acquire Israeli nationality by naturalization if he meets these criteria: (1) is currently in Israel, (2) has been in Israel for 3 of the 5 preceding years, (3) intends to settle in the country (4) has some knowledge of Hebrew (former Palestinian citizens are exempt from this provision), (5) renounces any and all foreign nationalities, and (6) takes an oath of loyalty to the State of Israel. Completion of all of the above requirements is not essential in all instances, however, as the Minister of the Interior at his discretion has the power (for a special reason) to waive requirements (1), (2),(4), and (5) above.
5. By grant from the Minister of the Interior to certain categories of minors.
The law provides, in addition, for a discretionary grant of citizenship to minors who are not Israeli nationals but who are residents of Israel.
If you want to live in a place like California, live there. I don't consider Raanana to be a real part of Israel. If you're really serious, just take your money and go.