The Law of Return states that “a family member of a Jew” can mean a child or grandchild of a Jew, or the spouse of a Jew, or the child or grandchild to a Jew. The law does not provide for the immigration of other family members, such as siblings or half siblings and grand-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Section\u00a04a(a) of the Law of Return permits non-Jews to immigrate to Israel, if they are family members of Jews (as defined above), but prevents an individual who was once Jewish, but then willfully changed his or her religion from exercising the Right of Return.<\/p>\n

Therefore, if a non-Jewish member of another religion only has a Jewish father, or Jewish grandparents, and does not have a Jewish mother, he or she, would be entitled to immigrate to Israel legally, in accordance with the Law of Return allowing Aliyah for family members. It is important to note that hundreds of thousands of people have made Aliyah to Israel as family members of Jews. They were not considered Jewish according to the Law of Return, but were eligible for Aliyah as a family member of a Jew.<\/p>\n

In fact, in the Supreme Court verdict 2708\/06\u00a0Steckback v. the Interior Ministry (Court ruling from the 16^{th<\/sup> of April 2008) it was clearly determined that a Messianic Jew would be entitled to immigrate to Israel, as a family member of a Jew, according to Section\u00a04a(a) of the Law of Return, provided that he or she does not have a Jewish mother.<\/p>\n}

The same logic would seem to apply to a Messianic Jew\/Christian, whose mother converted to Messianic Judaism, or Christianity, or any other religion, before the birth of the person in question. As the mother had converted before the birth of the Aliyah applicant, this individual was not born to a Jewish mother, and would therefore not be defined as a Jew, according to Section 4(b) of the Law of Return.<\/p>\n