BAGATS decided that the Interior Ministry should recognize non-orthodox giyur if it was done in Israel. More than fifty people, who underwent reformist or conservative giyur in Israel, filed a sue asking to recognize their Jewry in order to change the entries in their passports.

Minister Eli Yeshai replied that he obeys the orders of rabbi Ovadiya Joseph, the Head of the Council of Torah Elders, but not of BAGATS.

More than 11% of new immigrants aged over 15 were unemployed in the last quarter of 2001. 11.4% of male immigrants were unemployed in the last three months last year. 11% of women were also jobless.

During the same period of 2000 only 10.5% of immigrants who came to Israel after 1989 were unemployed: 8.8% of men and 12.2% of women.

For comparison: the unemployment level among Jewish population of Israel made up 10.1%.

A solemn ceremony, dedicated to 10th anniversary of the NAALE program, was held in Knesset. More than 8 thousand teenagers from 30 countries of the world (mainly from the CIS) visited Israel with its help. They study in 70 state educational institutions.

The law draft of the Knesset deputy Michael Kleiner about encouragement of Arab emigration from Israel was adopted by the Parliament Presidium for discussion. Arab deputies and representatives of left-wing parties tried to block this initiative as a racist one.

According to the draft, any Israeli citizen denying the Jewish character of the state and interested in emigrating to an Arab country, will be provided with a "support basket" (by analogy with the "absorption basket") if he abandons Israeli citizenship. The same order is established for those without Israeli citizenship.

Before putting Michael Kleiner's draft to vote at the preliminary hearing, the "Kherut" party is planning a number of actions in order to explain the Israeli society the necessity of this initiative.

A group of Israeli left-wingers refused to serve in TSAHAL if the service should be held in Judea, Samaria and Sector Gaza. In reply a group of former Soviet servicemen began collecting signatures under the appeal to general Shaul Mofaz, Chief of the General Staff.

The repatriates' appeal says about the readiness of the former servicemen to take the place of those Israelis, who refuse to fulfill their military and civil duty in the army.

According to the decision of the Ministry of Education citizens of 39 settlements will have an opportunity to enroll their children into schools and kindergartens for 2003 through the Internet. Parents won't have to arrive to local authorities for this purpose any more. This Internet method was for the first time used three years ago on the initiative of Raanana mayor Zeev Byalsky. Later the experiment was spread on four more cities - Ariel, Gertsliya, Givataim, and Shokham. It was carried out under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and with the assistance of the chief accountant and legal ministry councilor. They checked the accordance of technical characteristics of the local authorities for registration through the Internet.

The representatives of the Ministry of Education recently held another meeting with the local authorities. They reached a decision about spreading the new experience on 34 more towns. The new technology is planned to be spread over other towns as well, but this will be fulfilled only in 2004.