Source: The Telegraph
On December 21, 2004 The Telegraph reported, "The Berlin government intends to make it harder for Jews from the former Soviet Union to settle in Germany, where they have enjoyed virtually unrestricted residence rights since 1991. The government acknowledged yesterday that its plan was 'a very delicate, thorny subject,' and it was holding talks on changing legislation with the country's Central Council of Jews. Some 188,600 people have been required only to furnish proof of Jewish ancestry when they have headed west since the fall of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany. But for several years German Jewish organisations have complained that some immigrants had doubtful ancestry, while others with liberal and secular traditions had difficulty settling among more orthodox German Jews."