Sheila Z. Carmel thinks it would be easier to leave Israel, just for now. But she knows better.
For an Israeli-born singer and a growing number of relatively wealthy Israelis, October 7, 2023 Hamas attack All sense of security was shattered, and with it the promise of the founding of Israel to be the world’s safe haven for the Jewish people. That day, thousands of Hamas militants breached border defenses, killing 1,200 Israelis and dragging another 250 into Gaza in a siege that caught the Israeli military by surprise and stunned the militarily powerful nation. I let it happen. This time, in what became known as Israel’s 9/11, the troops did not come for hours.
Ten days later, pregnant Carmel, her husband, and their infant boarded a plane to Australia, where she was looking for someone in her husband’s line of work. And they were keenly aware of the family tensions and shame that cast a shadow over Israelites leaving for good, and they spun explanations to friends and family that were not permanent: “Migration” is a word that is easier to swallow.
“I told them we were going to be out of action for a while,” Carmel said more than a year later from the family’s new home in Melbourne. “It wasn’t a difficult decision, but it was very difficult to talk to them about it and even harder to admit it to ourselves.”
Thousands of Israelis have left the country since October 7, 2023, according to government statistics and immigration tallies released by destination countries such as Canada and Germany. There are concerns that a “brain drain” will occur in fields such as medicine and technology. Immigration experts say there could be more people leaving Israel than immigrating to it by 2024, said Sergio Dellapergola, a statistician and professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. .
Since the Oct. 7 attack, thousands of Israelis have suffered financial and emotional ramifications as a result of their removal, according to government statistics and family members who spoke to The Associated Press in recent months after moving to Canada, Spain and Australia. He said he chose to pay the social cost.
Israel’s population continues to grow towards 10 million people. However, 2024 could end with more Israelis leaving the country than entering the country. This is despite the fact that Israel and Hezbollah have reached a vulnerable situation. Ceasefire along the border with Lebanon And Israel and Hamas are inching toward a standstill in Gaza.
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics estimated in September that 40,600 Israelis will leave the country for an extended period in the first seven months of 2024, an increase of 59% compared to 25,500 in the same period last year. The agency reports that 2,200 more people are leaving the country per month this year than in 2023.
Israel’s Ministry of Immigration and Absorption has not responded to departures, but said more than 33,000 people have immigrated to Israel since the start of the war, about the same as in previous years. According to a spokesperson, the interior minister declined to comment on the matter.
Other clues also point to a notable defection of Israelis since the October 7 attack. Gil Faia, deputy director of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, said some of the center’s star specialists who spent years on fellowship assignments in other countries are beginning to wonder about returning home.
“Before the war, they always came back and staying wasn’t really an option, and during the war you started to see changes,” he said. “They told us, ‘We might stay another year, maybe two years, maybe longer.’
Mr. Fire said this was “concerning” enough to organize a face-to-face visit with the doctors to lure them back to Israel.
Michal Harel, who moved to Toronto with her husband in 2019, said her phone started ringing almost immediately after the attack with other Israelis seeking advice about moving to Canada. On November 23, 2023, the couple launched a website to help Israelis immigrate, which includes at least 100,000 Israeli shekels, or about $28,000, according to Harel and other Israeli immigration experts. It could be costly.
Not everyone in Israel can pack their bags and move abroad. Many of those who emigrate have foreign passports, work for multinational companies, or are able to work in remote locations. People in the Gaza Strip, where local health officials say more than 45,000 people have been killed, have even fewer options. Harrell reported that the site was viewed by 100,000 unique visitors and 5,000 direct contacts in 2024 alone.
Aliyah (Hebrew for immigration, literally the “ascension” of Jews to Israel) has always been part of the country’s plans. But “Yelida” – a word meaning exodus, literally the “descent” of Jews from Israel to the Diaspora – emphasizes that this is not the case.
A sacred trust and social contract took root in Israelite society. The conditions are now: This means Israeli citizens serve in the military and pay high taxes. In return, the military will keep them safe. On the other hand, it is the duty of every Jew to stay, work and fight for the survival of Israel.
“Especially in the early days when nation-building was problematic, immigration was a threat,” said Ori Yehudai, professor of Israel studies at Ohio State University and author of “Leaving Zion,” a history of Israeli immigration. speak . “People still feel the need to justify their decision to migrate.”
Shira Carmel says she has no doubts about her decision. She has long opposed the Netanyahu government’s efforts to overhaul the legal system, and has worn blood-red “The Handmaid’s Tale” robes that have become a staple of anti-government protests in 2023. She was one of the first women. she felt scared. She was a new mother and pregnant during the Hamas attack. This wasn’t the life she wanted.
Meanwhile, Australia beckoned. Carmel’s brother lived there for 20 years. Due to Carmel’s husband’s occupation, the couple had the equivalent of a green card. The basic logic, she said, pointed to movement. They could get a free flight with seven hours’ notice.
Still, Carmel recalled the exciting few hours before her departure, telling her husband in their bedroom:
They decided not to make a decision. It was packed lightly. But as weeks turned into months, the couple decided to give birth there. They told their families back in Israel that they intended to stay “for now.”
“We don’t define it as ‘forever,'” Carmel said Tuesday. “But we are certainly here to stay for the foreseeable future.”
