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.
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