A Kenyan man who was deported from Israel over suspicions of having a fake visa will be issued another one, Israeli authorities have said.
31-year old, Francis Kimani who has since changed his name to Yehudah Kimani-in line with Judaism which he professes was dramatically deported last month from Israel.
Kimani had gone to the Jewish state for a three-week study program. He was however, denied entry into the Israeli airport by the Interior Ministry according to The Times of Israel.
But, the decision was reconsidered during a stormy Knesset committee meeting.
The Interior ministry came under fire from the Conservative movement which claimed that the Population, Immigration and Border Control authority discriminated Kimani and other Jews professing the faith from other countries because they are not associated with the Orthodox movement.
Yizhar Hess, CEO of the Conservative movement said as further quoted by the Times of Israel: “This is a scandal and a new height of discrimination.”
“I do not believe that the Interior Ministry would have behaved this way toward Jews with any other skin color or who underwent an Orthodox conversion.”
Prior to his reconsideration for a visa, Kimani addressed the Knesset meeting through a pre-recorded video on January 3 detailing how he has applied for the document two times as well as his deportation upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport.
The Interior Ministry directed that he Kenyan Jew be granted a visa so that he can learn at the Conservative Yeshiva.
Kimani had been invited for the Conservative Yeshiva’s short programme by retired Judge Justin Philips.
Philips did not take Kimani’s deportation kindly; he said it was “naked” racism because his visa had not issues at all.
Kimani is reportedly said to be the leader of Kehilat Kasuku. It boasts of 50 members.
Kehilat Kasuku is a small group of Kenyans who left Messianic Judaism in the early 2000s.