Almost 70% of Israelis living in the diaspora say that antisemitism in the country they now live in has increased to a greater or moderate extent since 7 October. But though they, much like the Jewish communities in the countries they live in, are horrified by what happened on 7 October, they are mostly not planning to return to Israel.
That’s according to research done by Mosaic United with a sample of 2 021 Israelis who are at least 20 years old and have been living in the diaspora for at least three years. They live mostly in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany.
While respondents in Australia and France believe the increase in antisemitism to be great, those in Germany and other parts of Europe say it hasn’t increased dramatically. However, in Canada and Spain, like Australia, they have a sense that antisemitism is noticeable around them.
As many as 30% of Israelis said antisemitism in their adopted countries was so bad, they had hidden Jewish symbols outside their homes, and for as many as 25% of them, they had stopped speaking Hebrew in public.
About 20% of them reported personally experiencing antisemitic incidents since 7 October, while more than 22% reported such an experience happening to close family members.
Despite not wanting to go home, as many as 85% of them believe it’s their role to defend Israel, and 56.1% say their identification with Israel has increased since 7 October, while 38.2% believe their identification remains unchanged, and 5.7% say it has weakened.
A substantial 64.2% believe that Israelis have to take an active role on behalf of Israel in the countries in which they live, while another 20.9% believe they need to do this only to a moderate extent.
However, only 49.8% believe they are well prepared to lead a discussion on the situation in Israel or advocate on behalf of Israel, while 34.7% believe they are moderately equipped, and 11.8% feel mildly equipped, according to Mosaic United.
For Israelis abroad, according to the research, almost 80% support Israel on social media networks, while almost 70% donate money to help. Sixty-two percent make sure to participate in pro-Israel rallies and marches. About the same number participates in Israeli and Jewish community events.
About 57.3% of them have chosen to participate in public diplomacy (hasbara) activities, and almost 30% have initiated activities to support Israel, but less than 10% have opted to go to Israel to volunteer.
Nevertheless 82.6% of Israelis living abroad feel emotionally connected to Israel. Only 1% plans to return to live in Israel in the coming months, but almost 30% are considering returning at some point in the future. However, more than 60% don’t intend to return to live in Israel.
Less than 10% of the children of Israelis living in the diaspora have returned to Israel or enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces since 7 October, and almost 70% of them don’t intend to return or enlist.
