Israeli official reprimanded for helping ‘space kingdom’
In 1952, the Israeli government founded Nativ as a secret government department to encourage immigration from the Soviet Union. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Nativ came out of the shadows and began working publicly to support Jewish life and encourage aliyah from the now former Soviet Union.
And in 2024, Ron Shechter, who had served as a consular officer for immigration matters with Nativ until his dismissal in 2021, was found guilty of conflict of interest and other charges by an administrative court for, among other things, helping to establish the Space Kingdom of Asgardia.
What?
The Space Kingdom of Asgardia says it “aims to unite people in a transnational, equal and progressive society to build a new home for humanity in space and protect our cradle — planet Earth.” Slightly more concretely, it sent a five-pound satellite into orbit in 2017 and boasts hundreds of thousands of dues-paying “citizens.” It was founded by Igor Raufovich Ashurbeyli, a Azerbaijani-Russian businessman and reported billionaire.
And it paid Ron Schechter 58,000 Euros to consult on recruiting — which he did not report to his bosses at Nativ.
For this, and for other charges including favoritism and failing to report overseas travel, he was reprimanded by the court and demoted — a penalty far milder than that sought by the civil service.
His attorney claimed after he was cleared by a police investigation, he was targeted for uncovering corruption at Nativ. Speaking to Yediot, Shechter highlighted his work rescuing Jews from the Russia-Ukraine and Russia-Georgia wars.
“I ask to return to my work, which I see as a life mission,” he said.
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