‘I don't recognise the country I grew up in anymore’: Some Israelis tempted by exile

A brain drain happens when many highly educated or highly skilled people leave a country. It matters because their departure removes expertise that supports hospitals, universities, technology companies, research, and public institutions. Ordinary emigration simply means people moving abroad; it does not necessarily involve a large loss of specialised talent.

In Israel, the reported departures are concentrated among doctors, engineers, and other graduates. The study cited in the article says 80 percent of those leaving are under 40 and have high incomes. That pattern makes the movement a brain drain rather than just a general flow of migrants.

The article links the rise to political and security turmoil, not mainly to economic hardship. If the departures continue, Israel could lose people who generate research, innovation, and tax revenue. It could also face weaker universities and technology firms, while political uncertainty may encourage still more skilled workers to leave.

The scale described is unusually large. A February 2026 study by Itai Ater and his team, using government data, reported that 50,000 Israeli graduates have been leaving each year since 2023. The article also states that 150,000 graduates have already packed their bags during that period.

Those leaving are not a random sample of the population. They are mostly doctors or engineers, and 80 percent are under 40. They also generally have high incomes. This combination means Israel may be losing workers at an especially productive stage of their careers, along with skills that are difficult to replace quickly.

The article presents the movement as a response to political conditions rather than primarily to economic cuts. Departures began rising in summer 2023, before October 7. A continued right-wing and far-right government after the October 27 elections could, Ater believes, prompt even more graduates to leave.

The article connects the rise in departures to a cluster of political, military, and social developments. The starting point identified by economist Itai Ater is the judicial overhaul introduced by Benjamin Netanyahu in January 2023. Departures increased sharply in summer 2023, before Hamas’s October 7 attacks.

After October 7, Israelis faced continuing trauma, wars in Gaza and Lebanon, reserve mobilisations, and tensions involving Iran. The article also describes growing division between people demanding revenge and those seeking explanations for the attack. Religious and messianic rhetoric has further damaged dialogue, according to the account.

Social policy adds to the frustration. Secular Israelis who serve in the military and pay taxes object to large government allocations for ultra-Orthodox Jews and exemptions from military service. Ater says these combined pressures make people question whether they want to raise their children in Israel, while the election could determine whether departures increase.

Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul was a judicial reform bill aimed at limiting the powers of Israel’s Supreme Court. It was introduced in January 2023, months before the October 7 attacks. The article treats it as a major political turning point in the current wave of departures.

Economist Itai Ater and his team observed that departures rose sharply in summer 2023. Because the increase began before October 7, they linked its beginning to the overhaul rather than to the later wars. Ater argues that the movement was primarily a reaction to Israel’s political situation, not to cuts in public services or research funding.

The article does not detail every provision of the bill or describe all public reactions. It shows, however, that opponents viewed the political direction as serious enough to influence decisions about living in Israel. The overhaul therefore became part of a wider fear about the country’s future before the security crisis deepened.

The article describes a conflict between secular Israelis and ultra-Orthodox Jews over obligations and government policy. Many secular Israelis complete military service and pay taxes. They resent what they see as unequal treatment when ultra-Orthodox people avoid military service while the government allocates them large sums.

Tamar, a 32-year-old product manager, illustrates the personal effect. Her husband has served more than 400 days of reserve duty over three years. She says the government’s handling of ultra-Orthodox exemptions, alongside the wars and Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct, has become unbearable. She is considering leaving with her husband and young son.

The divide also overlaps with a broader political split. Netanyahu’s right-wing and far-right coalition uses religious rhetoric, while opponents say dialogue has fractured. For secular families, leaving can therefore represent a response to unequal burdens and a loss of trust, not simply a search for better wages or jobs.

Israel’s economy depends heavily on human capital, according to economist Itai Ater. A large departure of graduates would reduce the pool of people who design technology, conduct research, treat patients, and build companies. The effect would be especially serious because the people leaving are often doctors, engineers, and younger high earners.

Universities could lose researchers and future academic leaders. The article says academics already face many boycotts, and some research collaborations have been terminated because they are from Israel. Technology companies could similarly struggle to retain skilled employees, including workers such as Tamar, a product manager in artificial intelligence.

The article does not give a forecast for lost output or jobs. It does warn that 150,000 graduates have already left since 2023 and that more could depart if the coalition wins again. Continued loss of talent would therefore put pressure on research, innovation, and economic resilience.

Human capital means the education, skills, experience, and creativity people bring to an economy. These qualities help universities produce research, companies develop products, hospitals provide care, and workers create new businesses. Unlike a one-time natural resource, human capital can generate value across many sectors.

The article’s central example is Israel’s dependence on highly trained people. It identifies doctors and engineers among those leaving, while Itai Ater says Israel has no oil or comparable natural resources. The country therefore relies heavily on its graduates and innovators to support economic activity.

That makes a brain drain especially important. Losing 50,000 graduates a year, as the cited study reports, could shrink the talent base that drives research and technology. The article also notes that academic boycotts and ended collaborations add pressure. Ater argues that retaining skilled people is essential to making Israel a stable, productive country.