"If a Knesset member holds an additional, non-Israeli citizenship, and the laws of the country whose citizenship he holds permit him to be released from such citizenship, he shall not declare allegiance until after he has done everything required on his part to be released from such citizenship, and he shall not enjoy the rights of a Knesset member until he makes his declaration."
 |
| MK-Elect Dov Lipman, number 17 on Yair Lapid's "Yesh Atid" party list |
“I am going to be relinquishing my U.S. citizenship with a very heavy heart,” he said. “One side of my family came to America to escape pogroms in Russia, and the other survived the Holocaust. America provided us with a safe haven in which to rebuild our family. My father was someone who was able to become a federal judge while being a religious Jew. It’s painful, but I’ve been told it’s the law. I do so with a heavy heart and of course, there is also the flip side - knowing I’ll be pure Israeli.”We decided to figure out if there are any other reasons that MK-elect Dov Lipman doesn't want to give up his US citizenship. In our on-line poll - which do you think is correct?
9. Is afraid he’ll be out of a job a in a year and won’t be able to get a green card to work in the US
8. Doesn’t want to lose out on US social security retirement benefits
7. Not willing the pay this small price for peace with the Palestinians6. Needs a US passport for refuge when his party’s peace plan explodes
5. Doesn’t want to stand on a separate line for passport control than his family when visiting the US
4. Thinks the law should only be intended for Meir Kahana and not for progressive rabbis.
3. Won’t be able to be considered an “Anglo” representative anymore.
2. What will the "non-Jews" say?
1. Doesn’t want to lose out on the $1000 per child IRS tax rebate.
MK Lipman - Welcome to the big leagues -- Political satire is the highest form of flattery!
PS: If you had any doubts about Yesh Atid's founder, here's a great video extolling Lapid's intelligence on a wide range of subjects.
Follow the Muqata on Twitter.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
I don't think citizenship is a requirement for Social Security. So scratch that one.
ReplyDeleteAnd as of 2013, fiscal cliff rules say the per-child credit is only $500.
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a sore loser
ReplyDeletefunny but that law was enacted to try to stem Kahane.
ReplyDeleteso now another American Rabbi gets hit.
Why did he run for Knesset if he didn't want to lose his US citizenship?
ReplyDeleteHe didn't say he didn't want to, he said it's difficult.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really annoying is the fools who live here and have their dual citizenship and make fun those who have to give it up to help make this country a better place.
Yes, him and all the other Pure Israelis.
ReplyDeleteThis is very good!
ReplyDeleteKeep it up Jameel!
Jameel - How dare you make fun of MK Rabbi Lipman or soon to be senior minister Yair Lapid?! They are the only ones who care about Israel!
ReplyDeleteOnly Eretz Nehederet is allowed to satirize politicians, provided of course that they are right wing.
It is forbidden to criticize Yesh Atid or their leadership.
Kapish, komrade?
What is the Yesh Atid peace plan. Serious question, if they've got one I didn't hear about it.
ReplyDeleteWas Rabbi Dov Lipman's father really a federal judge nominated by President Reagan?
ReplyDeleteI couldn't find mention of a federal Judge Lipman in any of the usual places.
I would choose the benefits of a retired Kenneset member over a measly Social Security check any time. Besides, as someone else already noted, US citizenship is not a requirement to collect Social Security so he'll probably wind up getting both.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the $1000 per child rebate, every single person I know who took advantage of this loophole in Israel was audited by the IRS within the last 3 years. Not worth the aggravation.
Waiting on line with the foreigners at JFK? He's have a diplomatic passport so he won't have to wait on any line. Besides, lately, the US Citizens Only lines have consistently been longer than the US Citizenship Only line.
Actually he would probably be losing it anyway, just by being sworn into the Knesset:
ReplyDeletehttp://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_778.html
Being a Knesset member is certainly a policy level position.
Maybe he's trying to have his cake and eat it too?
ReplyDeleteApparently the Israeli law only requires that he do *his* part in renouncing US citizenship. It doesn't actually require that he *in fact* lose his US citizenship.
He could make the renunciation statement at a US diplomatic facility. But the loss of US citizenship doesn't become legal fact unless and until the US State Department subsequently issues a Certificate of Loss of US Nationality. And the State Department could decline to issue such a certificate if they believe the renunciation is not completely voluntary. (As they might judge, given his statements to the media.)
Voila! He will have done what's "required on his part" [made the renunciation statement] and thus satisfied Israeli law, but in fact not have lost his US citizenship [if State declines to issue the Certificate].
Regardless of ISRAELI law, the US law states (clearly) that any US citizen who (1) holds national office (e.g., MK), (2) volunteers for the (foreign) miltary, or (b) fails to file an annual US income tax return can (and in the case of an MK) lose US citizenship. I do NOT velieve this will prevent him from receiving U.S. Social Security since there is no linked citizenship requirement.
ReplyDeleteshmilda: I've known quite a few ALJ's (like his father) claim to be "Federal Judges." It's sort of misleading.
ReplyDeleteDov Lipman's father, Ron Lipman z'l was a Federal Administrative Law Judge.
ReplyDeleteALJ's like to refer to themselves as "Federal Judges", but they are not "Federal Judges."
Wikipedia: Federal Judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.
In addition to the Supreme Court of the United States, whose existence and some aspects of whose jurisdiction are beyond the constitutional power of Congress to alter, acts of Congress have established 13 courts of appeals (also called "circuit courts") with appellate jurisdiction over different regions of the United States, and 94 United States district courts. Every judge appointed to such a court may be categorized as a federal judge; such positions include the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, Circuit Judges of the courts of appeals, and district judges of the United States district courts. In addition, judges of the Court of International Trade are appointed pursuant to Article III.
Other judges serving in the federal courts, including magistrate judges and bankruptcy judges, are also sometimes referred to as "federal judges"; however, they are not appointed pursuant to the procedures designated in Article III. The distinction is sometimes expressed by saying that they are not "Article III judges," because the power of these other kinds of federal judge does not derive from Article III of the U.S. Constitution.
From Wikipedia: An administrative law judge (ALJ) in the United States is an official who presides at an administrative trial-type hearing to resolve a dispute between a government agency and someone affected by a decision of that agency.
Relinquishing US citizenship is a good thing today. US citizens in Israel are penalized by both Israeli financial institutions (too much trouble reporting to the IRS- people are asked to leave their banks/investment accounts) and the IRS (must file tax return AND report how much money is contained in every Israeli account more than 10000 dollars EVERY YEAR! ***AND*** are liable to INHERITANCE TAX, that may revert to high levels by the time the Obama administration is finished.
ReplyDeleteThousands of US citizens all over the world are RENOUNCING citizenship, just google "renounce US citizenship"
You are assuming that there will be any social security to be had. Or that there will be a US to collect it from for that matter. I do not doubt people are renouncing their citizenships. I don't know his motivation, but I imagine that if he is looking to America as a back-up plan, a place of refuge in the coming days as it has been in the past, he is sorely mistaken. America is no longer what it once was, and in the coming days will no longer be a place of refuge for anyone.
ReplyDeletehttp://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/279/~/receiving-benefits-if-outside-the-united-states
ReplyDeletecontinue
ReplyDeleteIf you are not a United States citizen, the law requires us to stop your payments after you have been outside the United States for six consecutive calendar months unless you meet one of several exceptions in the law allowing your benefits to continue. Most of these exceptions are based on your country of citizenship, residence or on other conditions.