Why do so many Israeli families come to live in USA

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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Israel related Inquiries & Aliyah Questions

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amother

OP ↓

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:19 pm

I live in a community in the Midwest in the USA. We have so many Israeli families that keep coming and I wonder about it.
I want to make Aliyah- but if Israeli families couldn’t make it work how can I?

Success10 ↓

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:26 pm

It's unclear if you are referring to families that made aliyah and then moved back to the states, or native Israeli families that moved abroad. Many born and bred Israelies move to the States or abroad, not because they couldn't "make it" here, but they felt that something pulling them abroad. Or something pushing them away from Israel, which might have nothing to do with Israel but is more their own family dynamics or something similar.

amother

Maize ↓

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:26 pm

Its very hard to make it in Israel financially, and even when you do, there is all of the emotional difficulty of living under constant war.

Life is much easier in the states, although I think many of the Israeli Yordim have a skeweed perscpective of America and think the streets are paved of gold and they will get rich quick.

But even if they end up poor or middle class, the standard of living is higher then poor or middle class in Israel, and you have the safety.

I made aliya as a teen and I love israel, don't plan on leaving and have no illusions about america, but the constant stress and living with an eye on your surroundings and keeping an eye out for terrorists ( even before the war) takes a real toll. Whenever I am in the states I feel a burden lifted off my shoulders. It may be an illusion, but the suburban areas I go to do not have the tension that we have here in Jerusalem day to day.

Making Aliya is a real sacrifice.

Especially for entrepreneur types on people who are not academic or tech inclined, its much easier to make it in the states, although the cost of frum living and tuiton make the fact that you make so much more worth less

Ruchel

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:27 pm

Israeli live everywhere, and some communities are big enough they don't need to learn the local language (discovered this going to the mikve once, around Paris).

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:29 pm

But why do they leave is the question. And yes I mean native Israelis

amother

DarkOrange

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:31 pm

amother OP wrote:

It depends what people want from life, and why they are Israeli.
If only by accident of birth, and it means nothing to them personally, why not move to (seemingly) greener pastures? That seems to apply to many secular Israelis who go to live abroad. Maybe some chareidi ones as well.

People who feel a strong personal or hashkafic connection, are much less likely to leave, in my experience. Millions of Israelis who stay all their lives in Israel do make it work. Myself included (edit, though I made Aliyah). So, maybe I could earn more money elsewhere. For me that's no reason to leave.

The fact that some people choose to leave to earn themselves a golden nose abroad, or to escape their MIL, doesn't mean it's unlivable here. Far from it. Israel isn't any more the poor country it was decades ago. It's well developed and one can live very decently here.

amother

Springgreen

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:31 pm

amother Maize wrote:

Funny enough, I feel exactly the opposite as you do. A weight is lifted off of me in Israel. Home with my people under Hashem’s watchful eye.

Making a living is as hard in Israel as it is in the States today. All the threads about it are very telling as does speaking to my family to there.

Those I know that made yerida -they are left and against the government and war or parnassah or adventure.

amother

IndianRed

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:33 pm

they think the roads are paved in gold. then they find out it isnt true and miss their families and go back. we had cousins like this.

amother

Violet

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:34 pm

Just 2 people I know personally that left Israel for USA in the last yr.
-their 1 yr old has cancer and needs treatment in USA, instead of splitting the family they all moved over for the time being. They left Israel last yr straight after RH. They don't have plans to move back. I don't know if they told neighbours why they are in the US.

-the old place the husband worked at had him responsible for if the company goes into debt, he left the company I think atleast a yr ago and his old partners are refusing to take him off responsibility. They constantly are going into debt and he has to pay. His lawyer said the only way to stop paying the debt whilst he takes them to court to remove his name from the responsibility of debts is if he leaves the country. They went last February. They don't know if and when they can come back to Israel.

I'm sure each person has their valid reasons that is specific to them.

notshanarishona

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:37 pm

Army issues, they want to leave kollel and go to work which is complicated
Parnassah
Medical care at times
Sometimes chinuch challenges in such big schools

amother

Brown

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:39 pm

I live in Europe, many Israelis come and live here, some short term (eg their employer has moved them) and some long term.

I think in the last couple of years, secular people don't like the politics. Remember the demonstrations that preceded October 7th?

essie14

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 2:46 pm

amother OP wrote:

But why do they leave is the question. And yes I mean native Israelis

In general, most native born Israelis think life in America is what they see in movies and on TV. They think life is much easier there.
A lot of Israelis also feel claustrophobic. It's a small country and they have an itch to get out. So if an opportunity presents itself, such as a job or marrying an American, they'll grab it. It might be temporary, with a plan to return, or it could end up being more long term.

Some professions, such as doctors, require schooling/residency outside of Israel.
I had a friend in HS whose father was an academic so they moved to our city in the US for a few years because he was a visiting professor in a local university.

amother

Royalblue ↓

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 3:05 pm

amother OP wrote:

But why do they leave is the question. And yes I mean native Israelis

Why do people anywhere leave and go live somewhere else?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 3:07 pm

amother Royalblue wrote:

Why do people anywhere leave and go live somewhere else?

I’m asking this question because I’m trying to get a sense of how hard it is in E”Y.

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 3:13 pm

in my neigborhood quite a few families moved TO Israel in the past couple of years.
idk any Israeli families that moved out of Israel.

mha3484

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 3:15 pm

I have met a few who moved to my Midwest town for medical care.

nylon

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 3:24 pm

Education and job opportunities, #1. Especially highly educated people. Israel is a small pond.

Feeling stifled in Israel (I've heard Israelis say this)

Politics, keeping kids out of the army (chilonim here)

amother

↑ Royalblue

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 3:31 pm

amother OP wrote:

I’m asking this question because I’m trying to get a sense of how hard it is in E”Y.

So ask questions that are relevant to you, not to them.
Ask how will parnassa work? Any family support? Culture difference? Chinuch? Communities? These questions can help you feel out what will be the best for for your family

amother

↑ Maize

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 3:34 pm

amother OP wrote:

I’m asking this question because I’m trying to get a sense of how hard it is in E”Y.

Hard in what sense?

Financially, it really really depends. There are some fields that are very middle class careers in the States that don't make enough to have an average american middle class lifestyle here (ultrasound tech or teachers for example).
There are also certain careers ( rabanus for example) that you can only get jobs in if you know the right people.

There are other fields ( mainly tech affiliated but not only) that you can do really really well in, and the fact that you are an english speaker gives you an edge and don't have healthcare and tuition mean that you may end up in a much better position financially then someone in the same field in the states.

As I said, because of the high taxes and a lot of heavy burdens on employers, its much harder to be a small business owner in Israel then it is in the states. I think that people who are looking to go in that direction so better in the states.

Other aspects that can make things hard
- Security Situation
- Political situation
- Medical - its very good for a free system, but we are a small country, and cant compete for the specialists for complicated situations in the US
-Chinuch/Specail Ed difficulties- this has changed in recent years, there are more options in all sectors and the schools especially in town USA have become more similar to the Israeli schools ( very big factory style)

Reality

Tue, Oct 08 2024, 3:34 pm

amother OP wrote:

I’m asking this question because I’m trying to get a sense of how hard it is in E”Y.

Life for most people is hard.

I did read that the percentage of yordim has gone up since the war but it is still a tiny percentage of the population. The majority of the yordim are secular who have very little feeling for the Land of Israel.

There are religious yordim as well. They usually move for financial reasons. For some, they are doing better. For others, they continue to struggle financially plus they have the stigma of being a foreigner.

I do agree with a previous poster that many Israelis continue to believe the US is the goldene Medina.

To sum up, to say that there are so many yordim to the US is the same like saying there are so many olim from the US. Nope. It's a drop in the bucket of both populations.

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