More on Reverse Aliyah. This is from the Forward in June:
A recent survey by the Jerusalem-based Menachem Begin Heritage
Center found that 59% of Israelis had approached or intended to
approach a foreign embassy to ask for citizenship and a passport.
My emphasis. Holy smoke! Author Yossi Alpher at first says it's because "you can’t easily get the Diaspora out of the Jews" then admits the obvious: "Despite the aspirations of Zionism to create a safe haven for the
world’s Jews, Israel is hardly the safest place in the world. Can we
blame Israeli parents for wanting their children to have another
option, an insurance policy…"
Can we blame not just militant enemies, but Israel's militant policies for making Israel too tough a place to live? Let me add that I've only been to the place for ten days, and I found Israel beautiful and impressive, but cleansed of Arab life, but it would seem Israel needs another Herzl, to legitimize anti-Zionist migration. What does this all mean? Is one-state inevitable? Where is the analysis of this amazing fact? The great editor Gene Roberts used to say that Big stories don't break, they ooze. This one is oozing. Are Jews just quietly leaving the party? The same way Norman Finkelstein says that young Jews are gettin off the Zion bus?
Another comment: Alpher is an Israeli who worked for Barak. Let's understand what this means. Americans like the amazing David Bloom, a pro-Palestinian Jew, don't get invited to write for the Forward, but Israeli Zionists are in there all the time. (Thanks to Dennis Drew for the tip.)
