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Government to Israelis abroad: Return home


New campaign by Ministry of Immigrant Absorption is encouraging Israelis who emigrated from Israel to US and Canada to return to Israel. Israelis, however, are not quick to board plane back to Israel. 'There is no way I will return to a country that sucks the blood of its young population,' says one of them

Miri Chason
09.25.06, 20:26

The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption has launched a new campaign on Monday calling on Israelis that have left Israel to return home. According to the numbers provided by the ministry, there are 600,000 Israelis living outside of Israel, 60 percent of them reside in North America, and 25 percent in Europe. During 2005, 4,200 Israelis returned to Israel, most of them from the United States.

The campaign, which will focus on the US and Canada, marks the height of the ongoing activities encouraging the return of Israelis living abroad. In the past few years the Immigrant Absorption Ministry has launched a unique plan to encourage their return to Israel, in a bid to assist them in integrating back in the country. This campaign is designed to penetrate broader audiences in the US and Canada and to encourage their return using active methods.

According to a study conducted by the Absorption Ministry in 2005, 46 percent of the Israelis living abroad mentioned that employment is the most important factor in their decision to return, before education and housing opportunities. In light of this, the project will focus on highlighting the employment possibilities in Israel.

The campaign will encourage participation in career and employment conventions that will take place in North America and expose the Israelis abroad to a range of employment opportunities and plans to make the return as easy as possible. The ministry will assist those who return to Israel to integrate into the employment market, in opening small businesses, and in absorbing research and development personnel in academic institutions.

'State sucks our blood'

But there are those who have a hard time coming back to Israel. Noa, 29, explains why she prefers living in Los Angeles and not return to Tel Aviv where she lived before. "After the army I went to school and worked at one of the security companies to pay rent. I will never forget the way that company sucked my blood. I will never return to a country which sucks the blood of its youngsters. What will I come back to? To a corrupt leadership? To be poor?"

"In LA I live in peace. Work hard, but get everything I deserve. I don't chase after my employer in order to get my basic rights. I had a difficult time in Rosh Hashana without my family and friends, but I can't simply go back and start my life from zero, especially when I hear that the middle class is getting poorer," she added. 

But despite Noa's words, Absorption Minister Zeev Boim believes that it is possible to persuade those Israelis to return to Israel. "Encouraging the return of those Israelis living abroad to return home is one of the central goals of the Immigrant Absorption Ministry. I hope the campaign will increase the number of Israelis that return home," Minister Boim said.

Government to Israelis abroad: Return home (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3308027,00.html)