Rosner’s Domain | Legal Reform Crisis: Fight or Flight?

Talk of leaving Israel, or threats of leaving Israel, is mostly an expression of a certain mood. Most talkers will stay; most don’t really want to leave. And yet, people talk. They talk because they don’t know what else they can do, and because many of them believe that the country is on a dangerously wrong path.

The number of talkers is worrying. More than a quarter of the Jews in Israel told us this week (in a poll) that they have considered leaving Israel or urging their children to leave. 

More than a quarter of the Jews in Israel told us this week (in a poll) that they have considered leaving Israel or urging their children to leave.

An elected government cannot base its policy on the fear of disaffected citizens leaving. On the other hand, a wise country does not conduct itself in a way that makes a significant part of its citizens feel that they better flee. A smart country does not behave like this unless it has a very strong reason to do such thing. 

Is the move the government is leading now critical enough to justify thoughts of leaving? This is a question both for the government (is the legal reform important enough to justify the very high price of many people leaving), and a question for those pondering leaving (will life in Israel after the reform be so unbearable as to justify leaving). Either way, more than a quarter of the Jewish citizens of Israel considered leaving “following recent events”. A much smaller share, but not insignificant (6%) say that they have already begun to plan their move.

More than a quarter! A million adult Jewish Israelis are considering leaving. And the higher their income, the more likely they are to consider leaving. Of course, that fact is a little annoying: why should we consider the departure of the rich more than the departure of the poor? On the other hand, isn’t it clear that if a million Israelis whose income is higher than the average gradually depart, Israel’s economic situation will be affected by their move? 

As you’d expect, the tendency to consider leaving is noticeable mostly among supporters of the center-left. It may be due to a somewhat weaker commitment of these parties to life in Israel, but it is mainly due to the event that is currently leading to thoughts of departure. A senior Israeli politician, whose personal wish is to seek compromise, told me earlier this week that “this is the worst crisis in Israel since the Yom Kippur War.” And it affects center-left supporters who oppose the legal reform, and does not affect the religious right-wing supporters, most of whom support the reform.

53% of the voters of Yesh Atid, a majority of voters to the second largest party in Israel, considered leaving Israel, or took steps towards leaving. This is also the case with most other opposition parties, such as Labor and Meretz, with the exception of Mamlachti Camp (headed by Benny Gantz). Among the voters of this party, a little more than a quarter considered leaving. 

There will be those who see these data as proof that the opposition, the left, call it whatever you want, simply don’t love the country as much. Perhaps those critics will see the instinctive tendency to look for refuge as another reason for using phrases like “go to hell” (this was the term Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi used against Air Force pilots who threatened not to keep reporting for reserve duty). Such harsh response is understandable. There is something unpleasant about citizens holding suitcases in their hands, threatening to leave unless the government does as they wish. And on the other hand, what did the government think is going to happen? Did they think that all Israelis would stay no matter what?

It doesn’t work that way. Not in Israel,  nor anywhere else. Citizens have many considerations when choosing where to live. There are considerations of habit, of ideology, of loyalty, of comfort, family, friends, language. There is also the politics, the nature of the regime. Quite a few patriotic Chinese would probably move to other countries, because of the nature of their regime. More than a few Russians left Russia, not because they are not patriots, but because life under the Soviet or Russian rule became unbearable.

You might say, well, Israel is not close to being Russia. And you’d be right, But I’m not the one who needs to be convinced of this. More than a quarter of Jewish Israelis need to be convinced of this. Moving the legislative process forward while failing to convince them would have consequences.

Something I wrote in Hebrew

In recent days there was a small debate about a decision by the city of Tel Aviv to prevent a Purim party for religious boys and girls with gender separation. Some thought that the decision was petty. Some thought it was proof of hatred, or evidence of an unwillingness to compromise. Those who thought so do not understand the true nature of the event that Israel is going through. They don’t understand that the conflict has already gone far beyond the question of changes in the legal system, and has become a large-scale demand for an overhaul of the social system. Tel Aviv is itself becoming an “ultra-Orthodox” city – a mirror image of other ultra-Orthodox cities. Just as an ultra-Orthodox city would not allow a street party in swimsuits, Tel Aviv would not allow segregated events. Why? Because it is not the “Minhag”. 

A week’s numbers

See above column for details:

A reader’s response:

Galya Abramson asks: “What can we in America do to help Israel in such time of need?”

Answer: Let us (and the government) know your view, without threatening to disown Israel.

Shmuel Rosner is senior political editor. For more analysis of Israeli and international politics, visit Rosner’s Domain at jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain.