The Only Reason I Moved To Israel (And .. Life As A Critical Zionist)
Channel: Daniel Rosehill
Date: 2021-08-25

7 years ago, I moved from Cork, Ireland to come live in Israel's capital city of Jerusalem. 

Among Jews, this familiar process is known as making 'aliyah' ('aliyah' in Hebrew means an ascension.)

I made aliyah because I believe that in a time and age when Jews can enjoy the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, it doesn't make sense to live anywhere else in the world, no matter how flourishing any diaspora community might be. I feel that it's my duty to live in Israel - as well as a privilege. 

All that being said, I think that Israel is a deeply flawed country. And there are aspects of living here that I find pretty disagreeable.

Personally, I think that's entirely understandable. Every country has its pros and cons. In Israel's case, the country isn't even 100 years old yet and has faced attempts at destruction more or less since the day the state was declared. 

But that doesn't detract from the fact that there are issues here. It's unreasonably expensive and way too many young people can't envision ever being able to afford property (per square meter, the second most expensive in the world). Driving is a nightmare. Common courtesy is sometimes sorely lacking. And customer service (in parts) ... let's not go there. There's so much that's good about the country, even though that's far more publicized. The technology. The vibrancy. The food. And the sun. 

Unfortunately I believe that there's a strong culture - among Jews - of silencing any murmurings along these lines. I believe that many immigrants to Israel feel marginalized and silenced even among their immigrant peers for not toeing a line that demands that Israel be portrayed to be the perfect utopia it is not - at least at this point in time. The rationale is often not to dissuade newcomers. But I think its effect is pernicious.

I talk about these dynamics in this video blog.

--

By: Daniel Rosehill (danielrosehill.co.il)

== Production notes ==*

Camera:
Audio:
Stabilization:
Lighting:
Postproduction:
Other notes:

(I write these for myself to help keep track of what equipment I'm using as I try to make better YouTube videos!)