Coming or going? Israel’s migration equation post Oct 7

Israel is experiencing migration both ways in the wake of October 7, although significantly more Israelis have left the country compared with Diaspora Jews who have arrived.

Migration statistics show 42,185 Israelis left the country between October 2023 and March 2024 and had not returned by July this year.

Emigration numbers were already up before October, with 34,500 Israelis leaving Israel between July and October 2023, at the height of the civil crisis, and not having returned by May 2024. That figure was double the number of the previous year.

October appears to have been the peak of emigration, with those leaving Israel slowing as 2024 progressed.

Although no figures are available, media coverage suggests those leaving Israel are more likely to be highly educated and secular, some of them despairing about the current situation. Such migrants are more likely to get work and fit into other societies.

Dror Sadot, 29, is one example of those leaving in despair. She has dedicated her adult life to fighting injustice and discrimination, and advocating for an end to the occupation. Among other positions, she served as a spokesperson for the anti-occupation group B'Tselem and prominent Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh.

"The recent elections and protests against the judicial overhaul were turning points," she says from her new home in Berlin, referring to the Netanyahu government's ongoing efforts to weaken the Supreme Court.

"While everyone rallied for democracy, few were willing to address the occupation, the lack of Palestinian rights or question what kind of democracy we're actually fighting for. Core principles of the left became taboo. The war in Gaza only accelerated this shift."

Educated Arab Israelis are also part of the brain drain. A survey for TheMarker found that 43 percent of Arab Israelis would consider leaving if they had the option, with another 17 percent undecided. For the Jewish community, the numbers were 37 percent and 19 percent. For both communities, the percentage of people actually leaving the country is significantly lower.

On the other hand, there has been a significant influx of Jews moving from the Diaspora, driven by antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and solidarity with Israel.

There were 24,357 Jewish migrants to Israel from the Diaspora between October 2023 and July 2024. Whether that represents an increase or a decrease depends on the comparison basis.

A comparison between total immigration to Israel during the first eight months of 2024 compared with the first eight months of the previous year, shows a 42% drop.

But a comparison with migration from the US and Canada against a 15 year average shows migration to Israel has doubled.

Zev Gershinsky, deputy director of Nefesh B'Nefesh, a private organisation which facilitates Aliyah, says his organisation is "seeing more and more American Jews who say they no longer feel safe in America and don't see a future there for themselves as Jews. Yet the most common reason cited is solidarity with Israel".

That assessment is echoed by Shay Felber, deputy director of the Aliyah and Integration Department at the Jewish Agency. "In conversations with immigrants, we hear first and foremost about their strong sense of identification with Israel and the people of Israel. Immigrants tell us that especially now, they feel that Israel is where they belong, their home," he said.

"We do hear about the antisemitism that has unfortunately reared its head in many communities around the world and has made the local communities feel less secure, but this is not necessarily the push to make Aliyah."

READ MORE

The October 7 effect: The Israelis leaving Israel, and the Diaspora Jews replacing them (Haaretz)

'Our resilience is starting to crack': A looming brain drain crisis threatens Israel's Arab society (Haaretz)

Over 29,000 immigrants have moved to Israel since October 7, WZO says (Times of Israel)

Israel sees 42% drop in immigration in 2024 amid war, significant decline in opened Aliyah files (Jerusalem Post)

Data shows post-Oct. 7 emigration surge from Israel, which has since stabilized (Times of Israel)