Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentYoni Goldstein: Jews, everywhere, appear to have moving on their mindsJews leaving Israel now outnumber those comingLast updated 30 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.People participate in the UJA's Annual Walk With Israel event in Toronto, Sunday May 25, 2025. Photo by Peter J. Thompson /National PostThe Hebrew word for emigration is “yeridah,” which translates to “descent.” Its connotation is not kind. In Israel, emigration is often judged as a failure of the individual, rather than the state. Yeridah is a word used to suggest that the émigré couldn’t handle the Israeli lifestyle, namely, conscription in the Israeli army and the economic and social difficulties that come with living in a Jewish state surrounded by belligerent enemies. The word signifies a profound spiritual failure that leads to personal, more than communal, degeneration.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorBy contrast, the Hebrew term for an immigrant, “oleh,” translates to “one who has ascended,” implying a sort of metaphysical growth that is inherent to living in Israel, bestowed upon an individual in the literal first moments one moves to the country or simply announces their plans to do so. To come to Israel is to grow; to leave Israel is to decline.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIsrael has historically had fewer emigrants than immigrants. Except for brief periods in the 1950s and 1980s when emigration spiked amid intensifying conflicts and economic stagnation, immigrants to Israel have almost always outnumbered Israeli emigrants in any given year. But since 2023, the data indicates the opposite is occurring — the number of people leaving Israel for prolonged periods now outnumbers new people coming in.Various factions in Israel have laid blame for the change at the feet of the government, the ultra-Orthodox, the security situation and economic fragility, among other explanations. Certainly, extended military service and spiking reserve duty that keeps people away from their families for increasingly longer periods are factors.Whatever the specific reason for any individual, though, the numbers don’t lie: Israelis are leaving — descending — of their own volition at alarming rates, and with the country’s protracted wars and political strife there is no end to the trend in sight.At the same time, an increasing number of Jews in Canada, the United States and Europe are also talking about moving. Skyrocketing antisemitism in our politics, education and institutions has many diaspora Jews seriously rethinking their relationships to their home countries, finding that the grass appears greener on the other side — whether that grass is in Israel or Florida. One man in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is even trying to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to welcome Canadian Jews as refugees fleeing the antisemitism they experience in Canada.The fact that Jews across the world are having trouble seeing their current homeland as their future homeland is not especially surprising. Since October 7, many of us have been attacked for being Jewish and Zionist. We see the writing on the wall, often quite literally. We might expect Israelis to be used to this kind of life, more battle-hardened and inclined to stick with their investment. But there is a tipping point for everyone, even Israelis; a moment when continuing to live life as one has now feels unwise. When that happens — wherever it happens — it’s natural to start looking for friendlier, more peaceful climes.Who can blame Israelis for being tired of shouldering the burden so that the rest of us can have a fallback plan? They have lives to live, too, and at some point, the “ascent” to Israel can start to look like a bad deal. If anyone deserves a break from the front lines, it’s Israelis.And for that matter, who can blame diaspora Jews pining for a safer existence, one that allows them to be who they naturally are without fear that a large and increasing swath of their society hates them for it? If anyone deserves the opportunity to experience that type of freedom, it’s diaspora Jews.But will any Jews currently considering relocation find that? If Israelis feel unsafe living in Israel, and diaspora Jews feel unsafe living in their diaspora countries, like Canada, it doesn’t exactly sound like it. There’s nowhere else to go, really.It is probably too radical to suggest that the two camps switch homes for a while — call it a sabbatical — and see how the other half lives. But for the vast majority of diaspora Jews heavily invested in the future of Israel, perhaps it’s time to try living there — not necessarily forever, but as a kind of Jewish call to duty.And for Israelis, maybe it’s time for a break, so that they can simply catch their breaths and live stress-free for a while. If most Jews in Israel and the Diaspora agree that maintaining a Jewish state is the key to our future — our survival — why shouldn’t we all take a turn contributing to ensuring that happens?At best, the entire Jewish world will be able to authentically call themselves ascendant to the land of Israel. Perhaps more likely, all of us — in the diaspora and Israel — will realize there’s a reason that we are where we are.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.