Life Was Great. So Why Did We Return to Israel?

After two years in Toronto, an advanced medical fellowship, and an extraordinary experience for our family, we chose to come home – at a time when many Israelis are asking whether they should stay or leave.

As Israel approaches another election, the question of whether to stay or leave has become part of the conversation in many homes. For some, it is a question of security. For others, it is about the future, professional opportunities, the political climate, or the kind of life they want their children to have.

For my family, this question was anything but theoretical. We have lived abroad. We have experienced what it means to build a life in another country, to discover a different culture, and to appreciate the opportunities and quiet pleasures that come with starting a new chapter somewhere else.

Two years ago, we left Israel for Toronto so that I could pursue an advanced fellowship in coronary, structural and congenital heart interventions. We knew the move would be an important step in my professional development. What we did not fully appreciate at the time was just how much those two years would give all of us.

Professionally, the experience was extraordinary. I was fortunate to train at a center of excellence, performing complex coronary, structural and congenital interventions, while learning from colleagues whose expertise and approach to medicine challenged me to grow. The fellowship was about more than mastering techniques or expanding the range of procedures I could perform. It was an opportunity to observe a different medical environment, exchange ideas with outstanding physicians, and reflect on the kind of cardiologist I wanted to become.

One of the greatest privileges of training abroad is returning with more than you left with: new skills, new perspectives, and a deeper appreciation of both the strengths and the challenges of the healthcare system at home. For me, the experience was never only about professional advancement. It was also about bringing that knowledge back to Israel and using it to care for patients here.

But our Toronto chapter was about much more than medicine.

As a family, we had the opportunity to explore an enormous and beautiful country. We travelled throughout Ontario and eventually made our way east to see the whales and west to discover the Rockies, encountering landscapes and communities that were entirely new to us. We also experienced the full cycle of four distinct seasons, each one inviting us outdoors in a different way. Yet the beauty of those years was not only in the grand adventures. It was also in the quieter rhythm that followed- the calm weekends, the unhurried time together, and the freedom to talk, laugh, explore, and grow as a family. Away from the familiar pace and routines of home, we became more present with one another. That time deepened our bond and gave us the rare gift of a different kind of life – calmer, more deliberate, and centered on one another.

We were also welcomed by a wonderful community. Our remarkable landlord soon felt like a member of the family, and our extraordinary neighbours brought warmth, generosity, and a sense of belonging to our everyday lives.

Toronto also gave us something we had not fully anticipated: a wonderful Israeli and Jewish community. Thousands of miles from Israel, we found familiar language, shared traditions, friendships, and a sense of connection that made a foreign country feel a little more like home. These relationships reminded us that Jewish identity and Israeli identity do not disappear when we cross a border. In some ways, living abroad made us more conscious of them. We could appreciate the richness of life in Canada while remaining deeply connected to the people, culture, and country we had left behind.

I was especially fortunate to spend those two years living just five minutes away from one of my oldest and closest friends. Our friendship has lasted more than 35 years and has followed us from Russia to Israel and now to Canada. Being able to share ordinary days as well as important moments with someone who has known me through so many chapters of life made our time in Toronto even more meaningful.

Perhaps the most lasting gift of those two years was what they gave our three children. They learned a new language not only in the classroom, but through friendships, daily routines, and the confidence that comes from finding their place in a new country. They encountered a different culture, adapted to unfamiliar surroundings, and discovered that home can be built in more than one place. Watching them become more independent, open-minded, and comfortable in the wider world was deeply moving. That experience, and the perspective it gave them, is something no school lesson could have provided. It was, in every sense, priceless.

So why return? Why choose to go back to the complicated, often hectic reality of the Middle East? Why leave behind the comfort and calm of life in beautiful Canada, and the possibility of working less while earning more?

The long answer begins with identity. My wife and I have been Zionists for most of our adult lives, but after the horrific massacre of October 7, our sense of ourselves as Jews and Israelis became sharper, deeper, and more urgent. Living abroad helped us understand that Israel was not simply the country we had left for a time. It was the place where our history, values, language, family, and sense of responsibility came together. We wanted our children to grow up not only knowing that they are Jewish and Israeli, but living that identity every day – sharing in the life of the country, contributing to it, and feeling that its future is also theirs.  We also came to believe even more strongly that, for all its difficulties, there is no better place for Jewish people than the State of Israel. Returning was therefore not a rejection of Canada or of the generous life we had been given there. It was an affirmation of who we are and where we belong.  There was a professional dimension as well. After working within the Canadian medical system, I returned with a renewed appreciation for the value of accessible, publicly supported healthcare and an even stronger commitment to bringing my experience home and contributing to medicine in Israel.

The short answer is simpler: it is home.

I know that every family faces its own circumstances, and that choosing to stay or leave Israel is rarely a simple decision. Our experience in Canada taught us that a good life can be built far from the country we call home. It also clarified what home means to us. We returned with gratitude for everything Canada gave our family, with a broader perspective on the world, and with a renewed desire to help build our future in Israel. We did not come back because we believe the road ahead will be easy. We came back because this is where we want to walk it.