I'm amazed (not really) at those criticizing the yeridim. The political system in Israel isn't just Bankrupt - it's SUICIDAL and has been since Begin capitulated. Since Kahana Z'tl, was attacked as a racist for advocating a seperation with compensation - the recent governments built a WALL with all of the negative humanitarian implications and negative SECURITY implications... The PRIMARY role of ANY governement is the SECURITY of it's people and economic and quality of life issues... I would add to this - NATIONAL IDENTITY. ALL of these have been IGNORED by recent governments in Israel. They are now being IGNORED by the United States Government. Open borders, North American Union, a proposed Amero as currency, NO security, dehuminazation of the populace...To my fellow Jews in Israel - does this sound familiar? I, for one, am awaiting for my immigration paperwork from the government of New Zealand. This is the beginning of the Achris shel Yomim and I don't know if I, MYSELF have Zechusim to bring me through...do YOU? OLMERT - defend Israel or there will NOT be an Israel to defend! All the money in the world will not shlep you from Gehinnom if you don't use your influence to help Israel.

The reasons are almost too many to number - but I and so many of my friends (including religious zionists) have faced this problem on a daily basis for years. A few years ago one of my work collegues was locked in a battle with the gov't who wanted to toss him and his new wife out of the country (she wasn't Jewish). Arab Israeli friends from University live under constant, unjustifiable discrimination. Religious neighbors are angry and pushy and demanding that the nation bow to their desires alone. Municipalies cannot not pay salaries. Water, our rare commodity, is wasted enmass, daily - from lack of proper infrastructure repair. We have no representatives in the government and almost no chance of a constitution and guaranteed rights. Our country is something of a train wreck with everyone pretending to be the "engineer responsible for salvaging it". I stay only because I really love this country. Because deep down I somehow want to believe that things will get better. But I learn more each day how much a fantasy this has become. Who can blame those with the courage to leave.

Nice article in Times UK on a group of olim leaving UK today on Aliya. B' Hatzlacha to them

as #12 must leave. For everyone's sake. WE with the guts to stay have it hard enough and we still stay, so it's best that the rest leave.

for many years. Even Canada complains about a brain drain towards "south of the border."

What percent are secular and what percent are observant?

The two needn't be mutually exclusive. We all share the ideals, we want Israel to be great. We don't all want the discomfort; or more realistically the plain hardship of living here. The worst of it is that this discomfort doesn't need to exist, it's placed there simply by the people around us thinking only of themselves and never about others. For instance. There is a 24/7 near where I live, there is a parking bay right alongside the road starting about 10 metres away from the shop. The parking bay often lies empty as people park on the street right by the shop entrance because they are too lazy and selfish to walk that 10 metres. This effectively turns a two lane road into a single lane track at that point; and anyone turning right has to do so from the left hand lane; but those people simply don't care about any of that, they care only that they don't have to walk that 10 metres... I guess that only a fryar would take that walk so as not to negatively affect others. This is a seemingly small thing until you add it to the fact that once you've driven around him and then gotten to the mall you're going to have to spend 10 minutes looking for a parking space because every fifth car is parked across a white line taking up two places instead of one. People park that way because to them the 10 seconds it would take them to park properly are more important than the 10 minutes that 100 people are going to have to spend looking for a space now. They simply don't care at all about anyone but themselves. I guess only fryars park their cars with other people in mind. Another seemingly small thing until, as you're about to enter the elevator to go up to the mall, the couple that just arrived 1 second ago simply step right into your path to get onto the elevator first although they see that you've been waiting there for a few minutes before them. They simply don't care about you, only about themselves. I guess only fryars follow simple social fairness rules. Then there's further discomfort when you're speaking to a shop assistant and some rude, loud monstrosity of a person just butts in and starts asking questions of the shopping assistant because their time is more important than yours. You've met another person today who just doesn't care about you. Perhpas only fryers wait their turn. The political issues here are obviously problematic and have been discussed here at length. No one has argued against them. The corruption throughout Israeli society as well. Simply put though, our daily lives and standard of living is affected more by our interactions with each other. We can work together on our shared ideals in comfort simply by exercising social responsibility and not thinking that we are so much more important than everyone around us.

I agree with Patrick, it is very hard living here, we moved here 10 years ago from Fla,and still find it very discouraging living here. The war over the summer didnot help the problems either. The schools here are very bad,classes too big, and getting home from school at 1:20 pm at the latest is just plain stupid. The "service "you get at most major banks here leaves alot to be desired,waiting on long lines and there only being 2 tellers even when the line is out the door.The supermarket lines,empty registers. The drivers here,kids without seat belts,bouncing around inside the cars. The endless strikes due to employees not gettig their wages on time. The garbage all over the place. I could go on and on. This country needs a good straightening out and a good cleaning too. Wish we could leave this place,like those Israelis who said when I moved here 10yrs ago why you move here we all dream to move to America you are crazy> Now I know what they mean

PLEASE dont find out that the religious are motivated to stay, 'cos then we'll all be called chara dim( ramat hasharon I think) and evil smelling clown suits( petach tikvah) and the list of bile goes on. Never mind that we all serve in the army are mostly professionals, doctors professors etc. As soon as you say 'kippa' and /or 'religious' we're all netureikarta chara dim. AND WE STAY not as @sses or fryerim/ot but because that's who we are.

Not quite what you said to Mandy of the UK

You're emphasizing the wrong values. Prestigious jobs in Germany and Australia don't do anything for the Jewish people. the cream of the crop are the Gaza evacuees and the poor settlers living in Judea and Samaria. These are the ones who have an attachment to the Jewish people and Land of Israel , and these are the ones we should admire.

to the UK. Check out today's Daily Mail online, for the scene at Brent Crossand I dare you not to howl with laughter. Then check the superbug situation and stories, which is horrific, and then sing with me, 'Ayn Li Eretz Acheret.' THANK GD FOR ISRAEL

My wife was hospitalized 3 times with complications in the last month of her pregnancy. I received my reserve duty orders (Tsav Miluim) to report the week following the birth and submitted a request to defer serviice by 1 month until she recovered. She was still suffering post-partum depression, etc. IDF's answer was "ZaBaShCha" - Your problem buddy not ours. Once we could, we left. A best friend from USA who is a doctor who specializes in emergency services and did volunteer work helping Cambodian refugees made Aliya and came to Israel . A doctor at Hadassah decided not to recognize his internship and put him through hell again. He is now a professor at a US Univerity and receiving national awards for his emergency work. A cousin of mine's husband was a doctor at Hadassah and getting invitations to speak all over the world in his area of expertise. His boss was jealous and decided not to give him tenure at the end of two years. He left his two bit salary and started working in New York with a starting salary of $250,000.This list goes on and on. The Palestinian terror organizations can never even achieve the damage to Israel that the Israeli govt. and IDF accomplish. The best of the best get up and leave for greener pastures. Many of those who remain don't have options. The young brilliant idealists like myself become disallusioned with the beaurocracy, special interest driven govt, lack of justice, fairness, abuse of power, over abundence of lowly clerks abusing the power to ruin people's lives as they are forced to stand in endless lines. A now Israel is left with 4th string incompetent politicians like Olmert, IDF without the brilliant young warriors who find solutions and win the wars (Not like was happened in Gaza or Lebanon FAILURES) We may visit but we will not allow the Israel govt. and IDF to ruin our lives or the lives of our children.

Perhaps some of the cream of the crop leaves Israel because they're too independent and too frustrated by the troubled small country. Those at the levers of power, in Israel and everywhere else, do not want brilliant independent thinkers. They want to be able to select, co-opt, control and channel their own cream of the crop.

"the cream of the crop are the Gaza evacuees and the poor settlers living in Judea and Samaria. These are the ones who have an attachment to the Jewish people and Land of Israel , and these are the ones we should admire. " ...while safely enthroned on a LazyBoy in New York City?

What do you expect when the Israeli government has apparently lost all will to defend itself, and wont protect their own country from constant attack? Who would want to live there?

The numbers leaving appear small compared to the growth of the israeli population. People need to look out for what is best for themselves and their families. Ideally, people need to look out for their communities too. But the only truly strong communities in israel today apear to be the haredi, hassidi and the "political elite".

I'm an Israeli surgeon, combat service in infantry in Lebanon, reserves Gaza/west bank every year. Patriotic and I love Israel. But as a doctor in Israel 3500 shekels a month basic pay and having to work 2 other clinics every night til 9-11 pm. I had no life. I was divorced my alimony each month was more than my monthly wage! Here in New York professionals are appreciated, unfortunately money talks and I have become a migrant worker. I earn more in a morning than I did in Israel in a month. Call be shallow and mercenary but I couldn't continue life like I was

and those of us who ate shit here in this garden of eden of ours are not worth a damn

Your comments are both shallow and inapropriate. Telling the truth as it is does not mean that I am bitter, facing up to that truth and trying to rectify it is the correct thing to do. I do not need lessons from you or anybody else in guts. I have served Israel in more ways than you could imagine including 5 wars, 3 of them as a combat soldier and as for leaving, the only place I am going to is 6 feet under, in the soil of my homeland and judging by the fact that I am rapidly approaching my term of three score and ten, that may not be long now. I must leave ? all who do not agree with the system of government must leave ? All who do not agree with the religious imposition must leave ? Oh yes, they must leave because they have no guts, as you say, The corrupt politicians have guts, the haredim have guts, oh yes, the day will come when the "gutless" will all leave and the haredim , who are full of "guts' will be left to run a theocracy and fight our enemies with a Tanaach in one hand and funny leather straps on their forehead and arm. Think before you post.

If I go to Israel today, will most likely end up in jail for political views. There is no freedom of speech, there is no democracy. It is an untisemitic state. And people vote for dictators. All Isrealis want is an easy life, and somebody else paying their bills. (Not everybody - but a lot).

Everything told here is true. Corruption, bad education, etc... But what ? It is the land of Israel. If the jews don't turn it into the land of 'halav v dvach who will do it ? They are people tired, they don't want to fight day after day against a situation they have the feeling they never will control. They deserve better, they want to leave ? Nobody will blame them. But, I stay. Jerusalem is so beautiful under the snow ! :)

I was impressed till the funny straps bit. Then I understood why an amazing and special family such as yours all left. You embibed them with the ability to mock all that our people stand for and died for, and it's better for them that they did leave. I wish you well, and I am approximately the same age as you. We however stayed, with all five (who were in the Army too, no big deal, duty is duty, and they do miluim). Maybe the funny straps have something to do with it. I sure do pity a family raised without respect for funny straps. I may not wear them , but we surely respect these funny straps, as without them, we are nothing and we have nothing, and a goyshe country is the best option.Your phrase said it all dear Sir. Shalom.

I live in a "western" country, I'm 29 years old, have an MBA from LSU, I own a company, and I will make aliya next year. And my greatest honor will be to serve as a fighter in the IDF.

Millions of people from the US, France, the UK, Scandinavia, Italy, Spain and countless other countries have left their countries and moved somewhere else. Does that make the US or the UK the living hell on earth of those who remain?