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Israel tries hard to woe valued emigres back. Efforts so far fell short.
A 2008 Menachem Begin Heritage Center survey showed 59% of Israelis consider emigrating. They do so by inquiring about foreign citizenship and second passports. Growing numbers hold them.
Bar-Ilan University researchers say over 100,000 Israelis hold German passports. Thousands more acquire them annually. More than a million Israelis hold other foreign ones.
America is a popular choice. Over half a million Israelis hold US passports. Thousands of applications remain pending. A quarter million Israelis live in America.
In 2005, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics said 650,000 Israelis away for over a year haven't returned. Most were Jews.
Growing numbers remaining are ideologically committed. Many are extremists. Others are indifferent, aging, unable to leave, or aren't sure where to go. Emigrating abroad isn't simple. Cost is a factor. Uprooting takes a toll. So does adjusting.
Gideon Levy once said, "If our forefathers dreamt of an Israeli passport to escape from Europe, there are many among us who are now dreaming of a second passport to escape to Europe."It's "an irony of history, because Israel was established to become a shelter" (for Jews). Now Europe becomes a shelter for the Jews living in Israel."
Perhaps today's near 40% may increase exponentially ahead.
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