Will Israeli Jews be leaving Israel as a result of the hundreds of missiles fired into Israel during Operation Pillar of Defense, the Israel Defense Forces operation in the Gaza Strip from 14 Nov. to 21 Nov.?
Indicators point to no.
If a measure of interest in a Wikipedia entry on Yerida, emigration from Israel, is an indirect indicator of the likelihood of migration, then the answer is that the recent bombardment caused only a fleeting interest in emigration, nothing lasting or significant. Israeli native-born Jews are not showing signs of making plans to relocate to other countries in in any significant numbers.
A favorite topic of academics is what level of military threat or violence causes migration and exodus? The Pillar of Defense operation hardly merits a blip on the migratory radar screen. The Pillar of Defense military operation, smaller in scope but similar to operations initiated by Israel before five of the last six Knesset elections since 2006, has not caused many Israelis to consider emigration abroad.
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Even the new experience, for additional millions of Israelis in the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas, of being subjected to missile fire, alarms and sirens for eight days has not brought about migratory preparations abroad.
Israelis were observed fleeing to local bomb shelters, but not fleeing the region under attack, as happened in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War.
Pini Herman, Ph.D., has served as Assistant Research Professor at the USC Dept. of Geography, adjunct lecturer at the USC School of Social Work, Research Director at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles following Bruce Phillips, Ph.D., in that position (and author of the “most recent” 15 year old study of the LA Jewish population which was the third most downloaded study from Berman Jewish Policy Archive in 2011) and is a past President of the Movable Minyan a lay-led independent congregation in the 3rd Street area. Currently he is a principal of Phillips and Herman Demographic Research. Dr. Herman may be contacted at pini00003@gmail.com
