Thousands of Jews have left Israel since the October 7 attacks

Leaving Israel is easier, Shira Carmel believes, but only for now. But she knows better.

For the Israeli-born singer and a growing number of relatively wealthy Israelis, it’s… October 7, 2023 Hamas attack It shattered any sense of security and with it Israel’s founding promise: to be a safe haven for Jews in the world. On that day, thousands of Hamas fighters overran the country’s border defenses, killing 1,200 Israelis and dragging 250 others into Gaza in a siege that surprised the Israeli military and stunned a nation that prides itself on its military prowess. This time, during what became known as Israel’s 9/11, the army did not come for hours.

Ten days later, pregnant Carmel, her husband and their young child boarded a flight to Australia, which was looking for people in her husband’s profession. And they stole the explanation to friends and family as something else impermanent — “relocation” is the easier term to swallow — keenly aware of the familial tension and shame that casts a pall over Israelis who leave for good.

“We told them we were going to be out of the line of fire for a while,” Carmel said more than a year into her family’s new home in Melbourne. “It wasn’t a difficult decision. But it was very difficult to talk to them about it. It was also difficult to admit it to ourselves.”

Thousands of Israelis have left the country since October 7, 2023, according to government statistics and immigration statistics issued by destination countries such as Canada and Germany. There are concerns about whether this will lead to a “brain drain” in sectors such as medicine and technology. Immigration experts say the number of people leaving Israel will likely exceed the number of immigrants to Israel in 2024, according to Sergio Della Pergola, a statistician and professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Thousands of Israelis have chosen to pay the financial, emotional and social costs of moving out since the Oct. 7 attack, according to government statistics and families who spoke to The Associated Press in recent months after immigrating to Canada, Spain and Australia.

Israel’s population continues to grow toward 10 million people. But it is possible that 2024 will end with more Israelis leaving the country than entering. This is even as Israel and Hezbollah reached a fragile agreement. Ceasefire along the border with Lebanon Israel and Hamas are heading towards a truce in Gaza.

The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics estimated in September that 40,600 Israelis left long-term during the first seven months of 2024, an increase of 59% compared to the same period the previous year, when 25,500 people left. The office stated that the number of people leaving each month this year reached 2,200 more people than in 2023.

Israel’s Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, which does not deal with people leaving, said more than 33,000 people have moved to Israel since the start of the war, a number roughly the same as in previous years. A spokesman for the Minister of Interior said that the Minister of Interior declined to comment on this story.

Other signs also point to a notable departure of Israelis since the October 7 attacks. Some prominent specialists who have worked in fellowship positions for a few years in other countries have begun to hesitate about returning, said Jill Fair, deputy director of the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

“Before the war, they always came back and staying was not considered a real option. During the war, we started to see change,” he said. “They told us: We will stay another year, maybe two years, maybe more.”

Fire says it’s a “matter of concern” enough for him to plan personal visits with these doctors to try to get them back to Israel.

Michal Harel, who moved with her husband to Toronto in 2019, said that almost immediately after the attacks, the phone started ringing — with other Israelis asking for advice about moving to Canada. On November 23, 2023, the couple created a website to help Israelis move, which can cost at least 100,000 Israeli shekels, or about $28,000, Harel and other Israeli transportation experts said.

Not everyone in Israel can pack up and move abroad. Many of those who have taken this step have foreign passports, jobs in multinational companies or can work remotely. the people In GazaWith local health officials saying more than 45,000 people have died, they have fewer options. Harrell reported that the site received views from 100,000 unique visitors and 5,000 direct contacts in 2024 alone.

“Aliyah” — the Hebrew term for immigration, literally meaning the “ascension” of Jews to Israel — was always part of the state’s plan. But “yeda” – the term used for leaving the country, which literally means the “descent” of Jews from Israel to the diaspora, definitely did not happen.

Sacred trust and the social contract have become deeply rooted in Israeli society. The terms go – or went – like this: Israeli citizens will serve in the army and pay high taxes. In return, the army will keep them safe. In the meantime, it is the duty of every Jew to stay, work and fight for Israel’s survival.

“Immigration was a threat, especially in the early years (when) there were problems with nation-building,” said Uri Yehudai, a professor of Israeli studies at Ohio State University and author of “Leaving Zion,” a book on the history of Israeli immigration. . “People still feel like they have to justify their decision to move.”

Shira Carmel says she has no doubt about her decision. She has long objected to the Netanyahu government’s efforts to reform the legal system, and was one of the first women to don the blood-red “Handmaid’s Tale” cape that became a staple of anti-government protests in 2023. She was terrified. As a new and pregnant mother during a Hamas attack. This was not the life she wanted.

Meanwhile, Australia requested. Carmel’s brother lived there for two decades. The couple had the equivalent of a green card because of Carmel’s husband’s profession. Basic logic suggests action, she says. They were able to catch a free flight within seven hours of notice.

However, Carmel remembers the frantic hours leading up to the flight, saying to her husband in the privacy of their bedroom: “Oh my God, are we really doing this?”

They decided not to make the decision. They packed lightly. But the weeks they spent in Australia became months, and the couple decided to have the baby there. They told their families in Israel that they would stay “for now.”

“We don’t define it as ‘forever,'” Carmel said Tuesday. “But we certainly will for the foreseeable future.”