Sabrina, I enjoyed the article. It's an interesting perspective, although I see one point a little differently.
I understand why you say Israel is not an escape from antisemitism. In the sense that Israel still faces enemies, terrorism, and constant security threats, you're absolutely right. But I do think Israel is an escape from everyday antisemitism.
When you're living in Canada, Australia, France, or elsewhere in the Diaspora, you're supposed to feel that those countries are your home. Yet after October 7, many Jews discovered just how quickly that sense of security could disappear. Antisemitism moved from the fringes into the mainstream in ways many of us never imagined.
Israel is different. It may be under constant threat from outside, but inside Israel, Jews are home. The state itself isn't hostile to Jews. The government isn't hostile to Jews. Society isn't hostile to Jews. That's an enormous difference.
For me personally, October 7 changed everything. I had always considered Canada and the United States my homes. I was deeply patriotic toward both countries. Today, I still live in Canada, but I no longer see it the same way. My patriotism now belongs to a country I've never even visited—Israel—because I know those are my people.
So I would say Israel isn't an escape from security threats, and it certainly isn't an escape from those who hate Jews. But it is an escape from living as a Jew in a society where antisemitism has become increasingly accepted. To me, that's a very important distinction.
Thank you for a thoughtful and thought-provoking article.
I love Israel, and always have. My love was passed onto my children and one made Aliya, married an Israeli, and after five years in NY, now live in Israel with half of my grandchildren. Israel is beloved by my family and we are there every year, and wish that the right wing leaning government would be voted out, while the religious would become part of the IDF, and stop living off nonreligious working Israelis’ taxes. Israel is the best country in the world. I have spent months in nine.
Respected colleagues in our joint efforts to seek Justice for our Jewish People under conditions reminiscent of those endured by our predecessors within Germany from the late 1920’s through the 1930’s and thereafter we find our People as we speak enduring the same calculated hate rhetoric and opportunistic violence, both psychological and physical, but sadly and in too many situations met by societal silence and indifference, rather than public outcries and legal demands for Jewish equal treatment prescribed under the constitution ; and where missing seemingly further emboldens our oppressors.
Our African-American brothers and sisters, during their time of trial: on August 28, 1963 independently assembled some 200,000 marchers in Washington D.C. under M.L.K. to publicly, yet peacefully demand their rights and definitely not wait for someone else to step up in their stead.
Such bravery and strength of character motivated others to join them not only physically, but spiritually, emotionally and financially . Courage tends to breed courage. Such subsequently resulted in the 1964 Landmark Civil Rights Act and its then and now applicable Title VI and title IX legal requirements.
Even though it was never easy for Blacks then and to a lesser degree noe, yet, they ultimately drew a line in the sand and would never go backwards.
Years later it was brought to my attention that today’s Jews neglected to model our struggle after the aforementioned’Black experience’, who set by example their perseverance, whether they got help from others or not!
As my father, Lawrence Portnoy, of ‘Blessed Memory’ ingrained within me as a child, “Before you can get respect from others, you have to first, ‘Respect Thyself’’!
In essence, and I borrow the following with due respect, …If we do not stand up for ourselves; who will stand for us?”
”If not now; then When?”
Best,
“Shabbat Shalom “
Bruce Portnoy, O.D. (Ret.)
Opinion Journalist Independent Analyst
author of the 2015 prophetic Geo-Political thriller, “First, the ‘Saturday Pepole’, and then the…”
If there are Israelis who are leaving, (yerida) due to frustration with the present government, are not only making a categorical error, they are admitting that they do not believe in the Democratic system.
"A government is replaceable, but a homeland is not. Mistaking a political season for a permanent climate risks becoming an abdication of agency — the very agency the Jewish state was created to provide the Jewish People."
A reminder:
Zeev Jabotinsky warned European Jews of a looming catastrophe primarily during the 1930s, culminating in his 1936 "Evacuation Plan".
He urged millions of Jews in Eastern Europe to leave before disaster struck. [1, 2, 3]
The 1930s Evacuation Plan
1936:
At the New Zionist Organization (Hatzach) conference, Jabotinsky pleaded for the mass removal of millions of European Jews.
1936–1939: He toured Europe to personally plead with Jewish communities to leave, warning: "If you won't eliminate the Diaspora – the Diaspora will eliminate you." [1, 2]
The warning was issued by Analyzing the Danger
Jabotinsky's urgency stemmed from a realistic, prescient analysis of European politics: [1, 2, 3]
The Rise of Fascism: He recognized that the ascent of Nazism and anti-Semitic regimes meant Jews were in physical peril. [1, 2]
Vulnerability in Europe: He argued that emancipation was an illusion. He realized that Jewish integration in countries like Poland, Hungary, and Romania was fragile, and that sympathy was not security. [1, 2]
"According to the Times of Israel, more than 69,000 Israelis emigrated (yerida) in 2025, compared with approximately 19,894 arrivals; in 2024, 82,700 Israelis left while only 29,859 arrived, marking the second consecutive year in which emigration exceeded immigration."
Is it known who is leaving and why?
Are they IDF dodgers?
Left wingers who hate Bibi and free market capitalism?
Right wingers who detest Israel's corrupt judicial system?
Sabrina, I enjoyed the article. It's an interesting perspective, although I see one point a little differently.
I understand why you say Israel is not an escape from antisemitism. In the sense that Israel still faces enemies, terrorism, and constant security threats, you're absolutely right. But I do think Israel is an escape from everyday antisemitism.
When you're living in Canada, Australia, France, or elsewhere in the Diaspora, you're supposed to feel that those countries are your home. Yet after October 7, many Jews discovered just how quickly that sense of security could disappear. Antisemitism moved from the fringes into the mainstream in ways many of us never imagined.
Israel is different. It may be under constant threat from outside, but inside Israel, Jews are home. The state itself isn't hostile to Jews. The government isn't hostile to Jews. Society isn't hostile to Jews. That's an enormous difference.
For me personally, October 7 changed everything. I had always considered Canada and the United States my homes. I was deeply patriotic toward both countries. Today, I still live in Canada, but I no longer see it the same way. My patriotism now belongs to a country I've never even visited—Israel—because I know those are my people.
So I would say Israel isn't an escape from security threats, and it certainly isn't an escape from those who hate Jews. But it is an escape from living as a Jew in a society where antisemitism has become increasingly accepted. To me, that's a very important distinction.
Thank you for a thoughtful and thought-provoking article.
I love Israel, and always have. My love was passed onto my children and one made Aliya, married an Israeli, and after five years in NY, now live in Israel with half of my grandchildren. Israel is beloved by my family and we are there every year, and wish that the right wing leaning government would be voted out, while the religious would become part of the IDF, and stop living off nonreligious working Israelis’ taxes. Israel is the best country in the world. I have spent months in nine.
Respected colleagues in our joint efforts to seek Justice for our Jewish People under conditions reminiscent of those endured by our predecessors within Germany from the late 1920’s through the 1930’s and thereafter we find our People as we speak enduring the same calculated hate rhetoric and opportunistic violence, both psychological and physical, but sadly and in too many situations met by societal silence and indifference, rather than public outcries and legal demands for Jewish equal treatment prescribed under the constitution ; and where missing seemingly further emboldens our oppressors.
Our African-American brothers and sisters, during their time of trial: on August 28, 1963 independently assembled some 200,000 marchers in Washington D.C. under M.L.K. to publicly, yet peacefully demand their rights and definitely not wait for someone else to step up in their stead.
Such bravery and strength of character motivated others to join them not only physically, but spiritually, emotionally and financially . Courage tends to breed courage. Such subsequently resulted in the 1964 Landmark Civil Rights Act and its then and now applicable Title VI and title IX legal requirements.
Even though it was never easy for Blacks then and to a lesser degree noe, yet, they ultimately drew a line in the sand and would never go backwards.
Years later it was brought to my attention that today’s Jews neglected to model our struggle after the aforementioned’Black experience’, who set by example their perseverance, whether they got help from others or not!
As my father, Lawrence Portnoy, of ‘Blessed Memory’ ingrained within me as a child, “Before you can get respect from others, you have to first, ‘Respect Thyself’’!
In essence, and I borrow the following with due respect, …If we do not stand up for ourselves; who will stand for us?”
”If not now; then When?”
Best,
“Shabbat Shalom “
Bruce Portnoy, O.D. (Ret.)
Opinion Journalist Independent Analyst
author of the 2015 prophetic Geo-Political thriller, “First, the ‘Saturday Pepole’, and then the…”
If there are Israelis who are leaving, (yerida) due to frustration with the present government, are not only making a categorical error, they are admitting that they do not believe in the Democratic system.
"A government is replaceable, but a homeland is not. Mistaking a political season for a permanent climate risks becoming an abdication of agency — the very agency the Jewish state was created to provide the Jewish People."
A reminder:
Zeev Jabotinsky warned European Jews of a looming catastrophe primarily during the 1930s, culminating in his 1936 "Evacuation Plan".
He urged millions of Jews in Eastern Europe to leave before disaster struck. [1, 2, 3]
The 1930s Evacuation Plan
1936:
At the New Zionist Organization (Hatzach) conference, Jabotinsky pleaded for the mass removal of millions of European Jews.
1936–1939: He toured Europe to personally plead with Jewish communities to leave, warning: "If you won't eliminate the Diaspora – the Diaspora will eliminate you." [1, 2]
The warning was issued by Analyzing the Danger
Jabotinsky's urgency stemmed from a realistic, prescient analysis of European politics: [1, 2, 3]
The Rise of Fascism: He recognized that the ascent of Nazism and anti-Semitic regimes meant Jews were in physical peril. [1, 2]
Vulnerability in Europe: He argued that emancipation was an illusion. He realized that Jewish integration in countries like Poland, Hungary, and Romania was fragile, and that sympathy was not security. [1, 2]
https://unpacked.education/video/unpacking-jabotinsky/
https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2013-08-04/ty-article/.premium/1940-death-of-a-zionist-visionary/0000017f-e143-d7b2-a77f-e3471d800000
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373545908_The_Fires_of_Destruction_Warsaw_August_1938_On_the_Posthumous_Invention_of_Jabotinsky's_Well-Known_Annihilation_Prophecy
I find it ironic when people talk about antisemitism they talk about Isreal and forget that the Palestinians are also Semitic.
"According to the Times of Israel, more than 69,000 Israelis emigrated (yerida) in 2025, compared with approximately 19,894 arrivals; in 2024, 82,700 Israelis left while only 29,859 arrived, marking the second consecutive year in which emigration exceeded immigration."
Is it known who is leaving and why?
Are they IDF dodgers?
Left wingers who hate Bibi and free market capitalism?
Right wingers who detest Israel's corrupt judicial system?
Businessmen seeking better opportunities overseas?
Israelis trying to keep their children safe from missile attacks?