So, you want to leave Israel. Where exactly are you going?

A recent poll by the Jewish People Policy Institute found that approximately 25% of Israeli Jews would leave the country if they could. According to a related article in the Jerusalem Post, “reasons range from a loss of faith in the country to security concerns to the country’s leadership crisis”. Regardless of the reason potential departees choose, the conditional phrases keep popping up: “I would like to leave” or “If I could afford it.” And that’s very telling. It’s much easier to talk the talk than to walk the talk.

So for those who are still intending to hightail it out of Israel, here are a few things to consider before finalizing your plans.

Destination. Since you are moving to a place where you can live a stress-free life, you need a location where the locals speak whichever languages you speak. You can count the Hebrew-speaking countries worldwide on one finger. You might get lucky and find a place where the people speak English, Spanish or Parisian French. But how’s your Quebecois French, your Paraguayan Guarani or your Mandarin?  

Jewish Life. Then there’s the Jewish quality of life in your chosen destination. You might not think it matters because you aren’t observant, but you are wrong. Jewish community life is even more important if you aren’t observant because now you will have to actively choose to be Jewish. Just wait until the interfaith dating begins and your Israeli children don’t have enough community support to keep them from leaving the fold. In Israel, you never have to think about being Jewish, mall and grocery store adverts do it for you. 

Employment. You are also going to need a job. Here’s a short list of the countries with the best employment opportunities right now, according to Google. The United Kingdom. Oh good choice if you want to convert to Islam and live with a new government that is definitely not pro-Israel. Germany, where they let in so many refugees throughout the last 10 years that the native Germans are now rethinking their position on compassionate immigration. Also, you aren’t a refugee. China. It should be easy to find an apartment since there are kilometers after kilometers of 50-story apartment buildings even in the smaller cities of nine or ten million. There’s also those delicious wet markets where the next world pandemic may be already brewing. And finally Australia, where, according to a March 16, 2024 article in TOI, antisemitic incidents are on the rise as is the Jewish community’s anxiety. Canada and the United States both have employment opportunities but their brazen antisemitism, anti-Israelism, and neo-Nazism are protected by the rights to free speech, and the federal governments’ ambiguity on their Middle East policies are already well reported. 

Personal safety. If you want to leave in search of a quieter, more peaceful life, you are going to need a country that cares about its Jews. Paraguay is definitely in the running since it officially said some very nice things about Jewish people this week. But that was the government, not the people. Remember, this is where Josef Mengele headed after World War II. Do you honestly think you are going to sleep better at night or stop worrying about your children walking to school unassisted? You’re not. 

Antisemitism. Finally, you should check out the amount of overt antisemitism in your newly chosen country and the government’s position on Israel. Antisemitism has always existed but for the last 80 years, it’s been partially muffled. Not anymore. It’s out there loud and proud. If you thought that finding a country where you could communicate, find a job, and feel safe was going to be difficult, just add blatant antisemitism to the mix.

An Israeli woman I know was on vacation in Switzerland with her family last week. They went to the grocery store to restock their kosher supplies. A woman in line immediately behind them was loudly huffing and puffing while they checked out. As they were placing the groceries in their rental car, the huffing and puffing woman walked up to them, looked them square in the eyes and said bluntly, in English: “We do not want you people here. Go home.” 

Good luck with your move.