What a great thing and a breath of fresh air.

How many criminals will slip through as "tourists" and stay on? I suppose we already have a statistic for when it was even harder to get in, don't we? Next Visa-free "tourist" group: Iranians. Next tourist attraction: ministry officials bent over with their cheeks spread. But seriously, thanks for the heads-up - I'll start my planning for yeridah now.

They can simply come thru Ben Gurion...."claiming me cum to Israel to see sun", da svetlana. They can meet up with the "Me Jewis give me money" or the "I vos holcost survivo in siber". Yeah israel you sure now how to pick em. The new Israelis...remind me of the new Canadians... "Excuse me while I part my camel"

Communism is not dead: it went into hiding to get more money from the West by pretending to be a lot of countries when the former Russian Republics still have one military. Magog is an ancient name of Russia since Mechach and Tubal are ancient names for Moscow and Tubulsk. Ezekiel chapter 38 says the Chief Russian Prince named Gog will attack Israel with countries listed that are mostly Muslim nations now. Michail Gorbachev in the Presidio of San Francisco who is a former Russian Premier is from the family of GOGbachev that changed its name to Gorbachev in the early 1900's. Israel is going to be attacked by Russia shortly and letting Russians into Israel without visas is asking for prepositioned troops to set up shop in Israel legally and illegally. Remember it only takes six people to disable a city: two to attack the water supply, two to attack the power supply, and two to attack communications.

I wouldn't be surprised if many of them are the non-Jewish relatives of non-Jewish Russian olim living here. Some of them will probably stay here. Just what we need: more non-Jewish immigrants.

Quit your constant whining. This is the first good decision this government has made for a long time. Sure, some criminals might slip through - but let's face it, any Russian criminal who wanted to get into Israel is already here, he just bribed a Rabbi to forge his documents showing that he is a Jew. If you want to leave Israel because you're a coward, then do it. But don't try blame it on Russians,

Why would anyone from Russia want to stay here? Russia is one of the richest,most powerful countries on earth, thanks to their military and their oil. Moscow is on the scale of NY, London, or Tokyo. I'd be more worried that Israelis visiting Russia wouldn't return.

You are right Moscow is on the scale of London & New York, But we are talking about the people who live in Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk, places like that where they make $500 monthly and live in the cold. In Israel they can find work immediately in one of the many Industrial factories looking for skilled work in Israel, Get paid 5000-6000 Shekel monthly and live in the North of Israel. But, It is time to invest heavily in Real Estate in Israel because come two years time the Russians are going to come in and buy up everything instead of keeping there Dollars under their bed in Siberia.

it's one of the reasons i read this site. i have to ask though, are you copying and pasting? or is this coming out of your head? it's fascinating.

Why did tens of thousands pretend to be Jews - which they clearly abhor - just for this new address? What planet are you on? Or perhaps you're acknowledging that their only aim is to build another _stan. Methinks thou doth protest too much.

These youngs don't look genuinaly happy.It is false.The Ministry of tourism should at least find good artists. This is not a good picture at all. Better if they took a spontaneaous picture from true Israelis gathering ,for example,with their children in the beach than this artificial picture.

It prooves its good to make Aliyah, as before on my previous passport getting a russian visa took forever and cost a bomb.... now in and out like any other nation! :-D

Israel deserves to be commended for this. Contrast that to US officials who wouldn't dream of such a measure much less implementing it. In fact, the US is busy erecting more walls by introducing electronic pre-approvals even for the so-called visa-waiver countries!