One third of Israelis are considering emmigrating

Tikum Olam - Israel’s Channel 2 published a poll which found that in the aftermath of Operation Protective Edge, one-third of Israelis are considering emigration.  56% would not emigrate were they given the opportunity.  Unlike in the past, only 36% would think badly of anyone who did emigrate.

... A major pop hit these days is this song, Berlin, which treats the notion of yeridah (a pejorative reference to emigration) as jolly, fun, hip and cool.  This jarring, ironic treatment of emigration is something that is new to Israel, which traditionally views leaving as a traitorous act of abandonment. 

... The truth is that a huge number of young, well-educated, professional Israelis have already decamped, or are making plans to do so, to more hospitable climes in Europe or elsewhere.  They do so for many reasons: some are economic, seeking greater financial, professional or educational opportunities.  Some are security-related: they simply don’t want their own children facing the same burden of war and danger that they’ve faced.  And some find the climate in Israel to be stifling either culturally or politically.

... Israel will increasingly become a poorer, more ultra-Orthodox, more settler, Mizrahi society (though of course Mizrahim will be emigrating as well).  With this will come a rising tide of hatred, intolerance, ethnic division, and religious extremism.  The IDF, already dominated by Orthodox-settler commanders, will become more so.  If you think present-day Israel is extreme, the future promises even worse.

Young people with ambition, and their lives and families ahead of them, understand that there is little hope that things can change for the better.  Foreign cities beckon and offer the pluralism, opportunity, freedom, tolerance and democracy that Israel lacks.

... To be clear, I’m not celebrating this development. I don’t want to see Israel become a backwater, a dysfunctional state. In fact, I’d prefer to see Israel as a thriving, vibrant multi-cultural oasis with opportunities for all and welcoming to all. But I must describe what I see, not what I wished I’d see. That’s the difference between me and liberal Zionists. They see what they think is there or what should be there. Not what is.