Why I left?

“Between 1948 and 2015, approximately 720,000 Israeli citizens have left the country and never returned.” I saw this quote in an on-line article. I was shocked. I didn’t know the number of “Yordim” was so high. As a Jew I feel that I owe it to my fellow Jews and Israelis an explanation why I left. I left in 1960 at the optimistic age 24 after I failed to get into a university and my parents were doing well economically in New York and California. Looking back now at age 81, I realize that my decision to leave lead to a wonderful life in Canada and – in Tel Aviv! I spend summers in beautiful Canada and winters in sunny Tel Aviv.

I don’t really want to get into politics but a Jewish friend of mine asked me the other day if I feel guilty leaving Israel for the US in 1960 and not contributing a hell of a lot to the “miracle” of Israel’s growth and development after 1961. My answer is no! I do contribute. I plant trees in Israel. I spend a lot of money there every winter when I visit. I enjoy the country. I am more relaxed than if I stayed in 1961. I get along great with family and friends in Israel because I don’t spend too much time with them! (Maximum 3 months a year). And, above all, I don’t get frustrated with the terrible Israeli politics! I am not too concern with it, I live in Canada! Too much politics can sicken anybody. You see, my family in Israel were “vatikim.” We followed Jabotinsky, Begin, Herut and now “Bait Yehudi” and the Likud. We did not like what Ben-Gurion did to Menahem Begin. We thought Mapai and labor represented poor national values. We believed that the left was anti-prosperity and defence and made the daily life of Israelis poor and not rewarding. The reason we come to visit Israel every winter nowadays is not the cold Canadian winter, it is the better Israel’s political climate, Mapai is gone, Labor shranked, Begin became a prime minister (brought peace) and Netanyahu is not perfect but he is a better PM of Israel than all past leftist PM’s combined. We are getting close to peace and prosperity with our hostile neighbours, even some of my old leftist relatives and friends are becoming more individualistic, less collectivistic, more investing, less saving, more nationalistic, less internationalist, more really helping poor people rather than putting them on welfare (terrible paternalism), so they can look good to the world and finally, Israelis are becoming more fun-loving than staying Dov Yosef ideologues. I love Israel. I think between 2015 and 2082 more Israelis and Jews will return than leave.

Tags: "Olim" "Yordim", Demographics, Israel, Jews