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.
In some ways, this is nothing new. The great national poet of Israel’s post-independence era, Natan Alterman, decried Israeli emigration to West Germany as early as 1953! Pollsters too have produced similar numbers in the past. But it’s interesting that in the aftermath of this particular war, the numbers of those considering abandoning Israel have risen. This may be considered a massive vote of no confidence in the leadership of the nation, and the nation itself.
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. I don’t particularly like the song musically. It has a robotic rhythm and circus-like melody which I suppose is precisely the intent of the performers, who’ve devised an alienating musical format to convey an alienating social phenomenon.
But in this case, I think the song offers telling commentary on an important development in Israeli society. 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.
The lyrics of the song savage a number of sacred national institutions from Ha-Tikvah to Naomi Shemer’s Jerusalem of Gold. Even Berlin, the city from which the Holocaust emanated and home of the exterminators of European Jewry, becomes a more desirable refuge (“Reichstag of Peace”) than the “Jewish homeland.” Here are the lyrics translated (I’ve amended Emily Hauser’s translation slightly):
BERLIN
Why stay here
Everybody’s asking
When you can catch a plane and begin to breath.
Even the newly Orthodox are leaving
And getting far away from me
How long can family be an excuse?
The neighbor’s lived in LA for 15 years already
She says we need to shut that watchful eye,
And everyone who comes back from abroad
Tells me how good it is there.Berlin, Berlin
Even if I forget my right hand
You’ll wait forever
For us to return to you.
Reichstag of Peace
And of the Euro and of light
For all your songs
I don’t have a passport.Let’s be honest.
Grandpa and Grandma didn’t come here [Israel] because of Zionism,
They fled because they didn’t want to die.
And now they understand that here there’s no life [possible],
They’d rather we be far away than poor.
No, it’s not a fleeing for convenience’s sake
It’s fleeing flat out
To keep your head above the water.
Even our forefather Jacob went down [emigrated] to Egypt
Because rent there was a third
And salaries double.Understand:
The whole world migrates everywhere
Only here is it considered betrayal of the [Jewish] people
By leaders who want us to remain alone
To remain afraid
Because everybody hates Jews.
And every time they open their mouths
They pin the yellow star on me again
Like a medal of honor
Like it’s a boutonniere.
They degrade all of us
Without a scrap of pride.
Liberate the Ghetto already
Let us live like a normal people.I don’t really want anywhere else.
It’s cold there
Strange there
And Hebrew is the only language I love speaking.
Give me a bit of the Kinneret
If there’s any left, I’ll be happy.
But how long can we ignore tomorrow?
How can I raise kids in a place that
Chased away Dudu Zar ?
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. A more reasoned, rhetorically articulate defense of emigration is offered in this Haaretz op-ed by Rogel Alpher.
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.
The accurate translation of the poll is that 30% (not one-third) would consider emigrating were they given the opportunity (they might not be considering it now).
@ Elad: An “accurate translation” of the headline says “about a third” (k’sh’lish) would consider emigrating. Inside the article, it says 30%, which is the same as ‘about one-third.’ Please stop nit-picking like this. It’s petty and foolish, but sure does give us a good idea of how the hasbara apparatus works.
You missed the point, its not about the 30%. In your comment you write “the headline says “about a third” (k’shalish) would consider emigrating” but in your post you wrote “are considering emigration”. Don’t you see the difference.
“Hasbara” – very funny as I’m one of those who would consider emigrating…
Elad, you’re picking nits this time.
Both sentences mean the same thing. No one is saying that one third (or 30%, which is roughly one third) are buying plane tickets as we speak. The point is that ~33.333% (repeating, of course) say that they consider emigration an option.
OK, you both win. doesn’t matter that I said the 30% isn’t the point, right?
This is the second time I have tried to comment on this blog and got called nice names. Third strike and you are out.
@ Elad: You don’t make ultimatums here. You’re judged on what you write. Thousands have preceded you here doing more or less what you do. Hasbara comes in all forms.
@ Elad: That’s an even smaller nit that you’re picking. But I’d encourage you to ask Channel 2 to do its next poll asking how many Israelis are actually planning to emigrate, or considering emigrating. That would be an interesting question.
Back in 2006, at the time of the last Israeli war on Lebanon, there were active reports (that is maybe scrubbed later) of Israelis queuing outside foreign embassies in Tel Aviv to renew their foreign passports.
It’s the way things are going, even if denied.
Here Hasbara for you: you show these numbers like them mean something. Did you ask yourself what were the numbers before the Gaza war? Here are some meaningless figures from the past:
29/05/2014 – 60% of students are considering emigrating because they can’t buy a flat – http://www.bizportal.co.il/article/386989 (in Hebrew).
14/12/2012 – 37% Israelis are considering emigrating due to the economy – http://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/1.1884838 (in Hebrew)
So you see, the situation is getting better, it was 60% in May but only 30% now. Come on…
@ Elad: Whatever you do DO NOT become a demographer! You mention a poll finding that 60% of Israeli students consider emigrating over housing and compare it to a poll saying 30% of ALL Israelis are considering emigrating. Not apples to apples, buddy.
Once again you are missing the point. I’m saying these numbers mean nothing including the past polls. I’m sure that if you Goolge around you can find any poll that you like.
But if you want to play the polls game and don’t like to 60% number then what about the 37% of ALL Israelis against the new 30% number? Again, I’m saying that quoting a figure means nothing.
BTW, I’m almost sure that these polls includes only Jewish Israelis.
[comment deleted: read the comment rules. Comments must be substantive. If all you do is say you agree with another commenter you haven’t advanced the discussion. This is not a cheerleading enterprise. It’s a place for discussion of issues based on argument, debate, etc.]
I was trying to show you that Elad was objectively right but, from your response to me and in other coments, I realize that it’s pointless since you don’t want dialogue. cheers!
[comment deleted: whether you’re right or left you can’t blithely use terms like “Nazi” here.]
Whether they like it or not, the future of the non-haredi Israeli is going to slightly follow Yasha Levine’s path, who came to Israel from the former Soviet Union, except he went right back to Russia after a few years trying to be Israeli. Luckily he ran into Matt Taibbi and Mark Ames, cementing his future in crazy journalism (he recently came back from the Donbass, covering the Ukrainian civil war for PandoDaily.) The choice is stay in Israel and be smothered, or leave and try to do something interesting. You will see more people taking “holidays” to Italy that never end.
I think you will find that you are very wrong. Thousands of people make aliya to Israel every year and are absorbed and welcomed into the community and society as a whole.
@ Amiran Cohen: And many Israelis emigrate. THough I’m not sure how this finding determined who’d emigrated, it says that Israel ranks 53rd among countries in terms of net inward migration at 1.68 per 1,000 migrants (both in and out). It’s not especially impressive. The U.S. rate is 2.45/thousand.
Let’s be honest, its not like Israelis are emigrating in droves or even planning to.
In the early 1980’s, there were over 200,000 Jews in South Africa. Today there are less than 50,000. Most left on thelate80’s and 90’A.D. That is a significant migration and brain drain and it continues today.
Israel, despite its troubles, faults and flaws is in no danger of suffering an exodus even close to that of South Africa and in fact is still the fall back position for every Jew everywhere should the crap really hit the fan.
P.S. Given that I have changed my name, in fact using my real name, I respectfully request that you remove the moderation tag.
@ Amiran Cohen: The situation of South African Jews in the 1980s and Israeli Jews today has many more dissimilarities than similarities. First, S.A. Jews were a minority within a minority. As such they were far more isolated and vulnerable than Israeli Jews. They were less integrated into the fabric of their country than Israeli Jews are. Second, either they were disgusted by apartheid and left for political reasons or they saw that in future they would not be able to maintain their high standard of living & perks that they enjoyed as part of the white elite once apartheid ended. Third, S.A. Jews, due to their largely well-off status, found it easier to leave and live in other English-speaking countries like the U.S., UK, Australia or Canada. Many Israeli Jews simply don’t have the money, passport or language skills to emigrate. They’re stuck.
I know lots of people who want to get Canadian citizenship because of war in thier home country. I know several israelis who ask me if I know any women they can marry for this purpose. Though it makes sense look at Lebanon in the last war. There were people who had not been to Canada in years we ho all of a sudden dusted off thier Canadian passports juat so they could escape danger. My dad in 1969 jumped on a plane to Toronto from tel aviv and has not left since.
Richard, did you forget that we get a copy of the comments by email after they are published? It should be against the comments rules to delete wrong facts as you originally wrote “The outflow is larger than the inflow”. I remember you told me not to become a demographer. Hope you keep this comment.
According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics the emigration balance of Israelis has been negative for the past few years so the inflow is larger than the outflow. These are just Israelis who leave or return without Aliya (in Hebrew):
http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/newhodaot/hodaa_template.html?hodaa=201401221
@elad: Do NOT tell me how to edit this blog or run the comment section. If I write something and then learn something new that places it in a different perspective you can be damn sure I’m going to add the new information I’ve learned. And if you think you’ve discovered “my weakness ” through your subscription to the comment plugin I can easily ensure that it’s no longer available to you. Your attitude annoys me and as far as your continuing to comment here, that’s not good for you.
If you see your role here as a form of Gotcha, I guarantee your stay here will be short.
Richard, please don’t twist my word. I didn’t say you should not “add new information”. I said that replacing fact without keeping in some way the old text is not the way to got. Usually people use strike-through text.
@ Elad: There is no “usually.” There is no rule. You’ve made up a rule for yourself. So go follow your own rule.
If you post another comment in this thread you’ll be moderated.
You said “Mizrahi” as if that was bad thing.
@ Jose Daor: You perceived my mention as a “bad thing,” which isn’t what I meant.
Just don’t come here – unless the immigrants are prepared to reject Israel. We’ve got enough deluded Zionists to last us for eternity. More would be highly undesirable.