In recent months, pressure on Israeli moving experts has increased, something to do with the new legal reform as well as the rising cost of living in the country.
Shay Obazanek, CEO of the company Ocean Relocation, is one of those who testifies to an increased demand for information on how to go about emigrating from Israel.
– We have seen a dramatic increase in the demand for information: ‘We want to move to another country, how do we start the process. People with foreign passports who are able to move ask for advice, he told the BBC.
The Portugal-based moving specialist Ruth Nevo testifies to the same thing and has now started working with Israeli clients for the first time.
– It has been absolutely crazy, from none to about 25 requests a day. And the people asking are very well educated – I’m talking about lawyers, judges, police officers, university lecturers and IT people. They are very worried about what is happening, she says.
1 in 3 plans to leave the country
According to a new survey, more than a third of young Israeli doctors and medical students plan to leave the country in the near future.
Alon Tal, head of the public policy department at Tel Aviv University, told the BBC that a large-scale exodus from the country would contribute to an “economic collapse”.
– When the truly talented people, who carry the innovation and economic development on their shoulders that this country is so dependent on, decide that they have had enough and don’t want to live in a country that no longer represents them, we will see a collapse – an economic collapse, he says.
Raised the question of changing demographics
However, international trends suggest that most people who consider emigrating for political reasons rarely take action. After the American election when Donald Trump was elected president, for example, many Americans abandoned their efforts, people who initially threatened to move abroad, according to the BBC.
Regardless, recent political turmoil in Israel has raised the question of demographic change.
The protests continue
The protests against Israel’s legislative assembly, the Knesset, continue in various places around Israel, including in Tel Aviv where many say they will never leave the country. One of them is Ruth, who says she is staying in the country for reasons of solidarity.
– I am really worried but I stay because I feel solidarity. It is my responsibility to fight, she tells the BBC.
The new reform in brief
It was earlier this summer that the Knesset hammered through the controversial law that many of Israel’s residents believe threatens the judiciary and democracy in the country
Among other things, the reform deprives the Supreme Court of the right to stop decisions taken by the parliament
The law change was hammered through after several months of extensive protests and demonstration stations