Jewish Emigration from Palestine/Israel, 1945-1967

FAIN: FB-58063-15

Ori Yehudai
Center for Jewish History (New York, NY 10011-6301)

This project studies Jewish emigration from Palestine/Israel between 1945 and 1967. Focusing on the crucial years of Zionist nation-building and the postwar reconstruction of the Jewish world, it examines the personal experiences of individual migrants and the institutional reactions to emigration. While the dominant view in the Jewish world was that displaced Jews should settle in the Land of Israel, the study shows that tens of thousands of Jews chose to go against the grain and seek homes in other lands. The study shows that, contrary to the accepted view, Palestine/Israel was not only a country of Jewish immigration but also of emigration. It also provides broader insights into the experience of migration and displacement, the role of emigration in nation-building and the relationship between national collectives and individuals who choose to cross their physical and ideological boundaries.