Since the attack on October 7, thousands of people have left Israel, which has caused worries about a possible brain drain.
- People from Israel look for safety outside of Israel, especially in Germany and Canada.
- Many well-known people warn against being a “wandering Jew” without a state.
One thousand people were killed and 250 Israelis were captured in a Hamas attack in Gaza on October 7, 2023. This broke the country’s promise to be a safe place for Jews.
Since then, thousands of Israelis have left the country, which has caused worries about a possible “brain drain” in fields like science and medicine.
- It is thought that more Israelis will leave the country than will come to live there in 2024, which would be the first time in Israel’s history.
- In 2024, more than 18,000 Israelis applied to become citizens of Germany. This was more than double the number of applications the year before.
For singer Shira Z. Carmel, who was born in Israel, the attack was the final blow. Taking a flight to Australia with her husband and child, she lied about the move as a brief “relocation” to avoid the family problems and social shame that come with leaving Israel for good.
- Carmel said, “We told them we’re going to step back for a while.” She said it was “hard to talk to them about it”—”even hard to admit it to ourselves.”
It’s possible that Carmel lied about the move to avoid problems with her family and social shame, but it’s important to remember that everyone makes choices that may go against what society thinks is right.
When Naftali Bennett warns about the risks of not having a passport and being vulnerable, he doesn’t take into account how complicated people’s lives are or their basic right to make decisions for themselves and their families.
- “Talks about leaving the country are the thing that worries me the most.” Bennett wrote, “This must not happen. Israel must keep its best people.”
Israel’s population keeps growing, but many families who want safety and security have found that the financial, emotional, and social costs of leaving have been worth it.
- Between January and October 2024, over 5,700 applications for work permits from Israeli citizens were sent to Canada. These numbers are much higher than they were in the years before.
- Hospitals like Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center are having a hard time with specialists who aren’t sure if they want to come back from fellowships abroad.
As long as the shaky peace between Hezbollah and Hamas lasts, the October 7 attack’s effect on Israelis leaving the country is still a major worry for a country that is still trying to figure out what its basic goals were.