Let me stress again: I'm not a gung-ho "everyone-get-on-the-next-plane-to-Israel" advocate; there are tons of very valid reasons for a Jew not to live in Israel, and I do not stand in judgment of anyone who chooses not to live here. But I do think that even for someone who has such a reason, they should at least have a feeling of lacking, of missing out on something really big. It shouldn’t be a relieved, "Well, Boruch Hashem, I have a heter to stay in Chu"l, so I don't need to go to Israel," but rather a heavy-hearted, "I wish I could be in E"Y – but what can I do; my duty is to be in Chu"l right now."
Unfortunately, I think most people don't even get to the lesser of those two levels; for the most part when a Jew lives in Chu"l it's not because they've made a conscious choice to do so, but rather because it's never even entered their minds that living in E"Y is actually a Jewish value, and one that might require some degree of personal sacrifice. But again, that's not for me to judge; each individual Jew must be intellectually honest with himself in determining whether his continued sojourn in Chu"l is because he is there on a mission, or because he has rationalized away the value of living in E"Y for the sake of preserving his own comfort zone.
Even so, I find it very interesting to observe in this light developments in Israel, compared to the situation in my old country, South Africa.
For non South African readers, a bit of background: SA is a very special community, particularly the Jewish community. It boasts the highest per capita rate of baalei teshuva in the world, and in general the Jewish affiliation of the community is very strong, even among the non-observant. The lifestyle of Jewish South Africans is generally very luxurious compared to other parts of the world. Once you've gotten used to living in a 300 sq. metre house or more with an even bigger garden, a live-in maid whom you can get away with paying what would be slave wages in any first-world country, two cars, Daddy working a 42.5-hour work week, and Mommy free to paint her nails, go shopping and have tea with her friends at leisure, it takes a lot of convincing to make you believe you should be anywhere else.
Obviously that's a very simplistic picture. The fact is, for as long as I know, there has always been a steady trickle of Jewish emigration from South Africa, for many different reasons: ideological opposition to apartheid; fear of a black revolution; economic pessimism; crime; affirmative action, etc. Most of this emigration has been to other countries in the Anglosphere: Australia, the USA, the UK and Canada. Proportionally very little of Jewish South African migration has been to Israel.
And there have been a lot of good reasons for that. Since its birth nearly 60 years ago, Israel has been in existential danger. Many South African Jews answered the call and went to fight for the fledgling state, and some even stayed. But for decades Israel was under physical threat, and the lifestyle was several orders of magnitude beneath what South Africans were accustomed to. The economy suffered from hyperinflation, and basic facilities and products were in short supply. It took a really motivated ideologue to make Aliyah then.
But amazingly enough, Israel pulled through. Whatever your feeling about the so-called "peace process" currently underway, I think it is pretty unarguable that in terms of existential threats, we no longer have enemy armies massing at our borders, making preparations for the unthinkable. So why not make aliyah now?
"You gotta be kidding!" says the South African. "The economy is a shambles, and I'll never be able to make a living there!"
Think again. Israel's economy is now the regional powerhouse, inflation is almost negligible, unemployment is at record lows - and we even have a budget surplus! Jobs are staying open for months on end because there isn't enough qualified manpower.
"OK", says the South African, "but even if you have low inflation and low unemployment, the lifestyle still stinks. I could never live in one of those dingy little 3-bedroom Israeli apartments on the fifth floor with a 4 square metre balcony and my washing hanging out in full view!"
Not so. The once stereotypical dingy Israeli apartment is no longer the mode of living. Take a look at any of the towns with high concentrations of English speakers: Raanana, Netanya, Modiin, Gush Etzion, Maaleh Adumim, and of course my own Beit Shemesh, and you will see spacious houses, gardens, parks, and an aesthetic beauty that can rival anywhere in Chu"l. Even Jerusalem is developing higher quality living spaces in its newer neighbourhoods.
"Really? But still, to support your lifestyle you need to have both parents working!"
The point may be valid that for the most part you need to have two working parents in order to come out every month - but the single working parent was a luxury of South Africa that is now not as prevalent as it used to be. The cost of living in SA has gone up appreciably in the last few years, especially for families who are sending their children to private schools.
"OK, but I hate the Israeli culture. It's just too Middle Eastern for me - I like the Western, cultured way of life, and I don't feel comfortable with the Hebrew language."
Well, here's some news for you. The last 6 years have seen a surge in immigration from the USA and UK. Towns like Beit Shemesh, Modiin and Yad Binyamin are so full of English speakers that it's becoming a running joke: "Ramat Beit Shemesh - a beautiful town only 5 minutes from Israel"! Consequently an entire sub-economy has sprung up in English-speaking services and businesses - a sub-economy that has a completely different salary scale than the regular Israeli job market. I myself work in English, for a company that services the US economy. It's almost embarassing - I speak English at home, I speak English to my friends and neighbours, my Rabbi delivers his Shabbos deroshos in English, and I work in English. I might find those calls from telemarketers annoying, but at least they serve as a reminder that there actually are some people out there who speak Hebrew!
And if that's not enough, the Sal Klita has since 2003 been opened to every new immigrant - a sizable cash grant given to all olim, which gives you the breathing space to go to Ulpan and otherwise acclimatize for the first few months of your Aliyah.
"Yeah, but still - it's difficult to move from South Africa. Our currency is practically worthless and you're starting off with a really small capital base, and having to buy a really expensive house..."
Well, lucky you. In the last few years, the South African property market has veritably exploded. The house that you bought 10 years ago for a few hundred thousand bucks with change is now worth a couple of million rand! You can sell your house for a handsome profit, and start off in Israel with a very respectable capital base. As for property in Israel, it's not uniformly expensive. Yes, places like Raanana and Netanya are pricey, both other, smaller and newer developments are very affordable, especially if you've just sold a South African house. Most Israelis can only dream of choosing a home and paying cash for it - most people pay off their houses over 20-25 years! - but a South African can buy a comfortable home in Israel with the change from selling his house in chu"l!
The whole progression is just exquisite to watch. Hashem is steadily whittling down the excuses why not to make Aliyah, by making it ever easier to come home to Israel. How much easier can it get?
Problem is, Hashem doesn't just send "nice" messages. I'm not saying I have a direct line to G-d, but based on my knowledge of Jewish hashkafa, I know that when He has exhausted all the "nice" ways of gently prodding us in a certain direction, the next thing is that He starts sending not-so-nice messages.
Since the early 1990s, crime has increasingly been a problem, though for many years it became background noise, as people became inured to the constant carjackings, robberies, home invasions and other contact crimes. Lately, however, it seems that the situation has been spiralling out of control, with horrific stories like that of the recent murder of Sheldon Cohen z"l becoming all too common. When I describe the situation in South Africa to my fellow Israelis, they invariably turn to me and ask, incredulously, "What are the Jews still doing there? Why don't they get out?"
I know why, because I lived there for 29 years. It is a beautiful country, an easy lifestyle, and if you can just blot the crime out of your mind, build yourself a gilded prison to live in, get used to driving your car with the constant vigilance of an Israeli foot soldier in Ramallah, and keep praying that "it" never happens to you or your loved ones, life is great.
But it just couldn't stay that way, could it?
The big talking point right now is Eskom's rolling power cuts, better known by the Orwellian euphemism "load shedding". Now it's not my place to level criticism at the South African government for failing to anticipate this crisis; there are plenty more eloquent and better informed critics to do that. My job is to observe the situation and ponder its meaning. And I see it in the overall context of all that I have described above.
Suddenly life is not so bright any more, if you'll pardon the cheap pun. When your electricity is cut off for 2.5 hours a day or more, and instead of roast chicken and steaming potatoes, you're eating cold spaghetti with ketchup and tinned mushrooms for supper, it really is hard to swallow - and I don't even mean that as a pun. When your business cannot operate during prime hours, because your area is taking its turn at power sharing, that cuts deep into your economicwell-being. When your Mom's hip replacement operation has to be postponed indefinitely because the hospital generators have only got enough power to support emergency cases and they can't take the chance of a life-threatening unplanned power cut, then it doesn't matter much whether you have the Discovery Essential, Classic or Select Comprehensive medical plan - you and your Mom will simply have to get used to the wheelchair and painkillers. All in all, it becomes a lot harder to look past the spiralling crime, rampant AIDS, shameless governmental corruption, punitive affirmative action, etc. when your very lifestyle that you were trying so hard to hang on to is crumbling before your eyes.
Look, I have to hand it to the South Africans - there's still a significant proportion of them who are adapting to the new reality, planning around the load shedding schedule, changing their spendthrift electrical habits and overall keeping up their positive attitude. What can I say against that? I salute their resilience and their positive, proactive attitude! On the other hand, though, there has to be a point where even the most diehard Afro-optimist has got to take an honest look at the situation, and say, "This is not normal, it is not acceptable, and I will not accept it."
Think it through: even the official line is that the status quo is not just a spike or a passing phase - it's going to be like this until at least 2013! If even Eskom and the government are saying 5 years, the reality is probably going to be 7 or more. And while you may be prepared to tolerate 7 years of darkness, international investors are not. Increasingly, local businesses are going to move abroad. Will FIFA withdraw the 2010 World Cup? That would be economically catastrophic for the country - but whether or not happens, those "disloyal" South Africans who are skilled enough to attract job offers from the USA, Europe and elsewhere, are going to be leaving the country in droves. Who will be left to turn off the lights, if indeed there are any left burning?
- The diehard Afro-optimists;
- those who are not healthy, wealthy or skilled enough to emigrate; and of course
- the bad guys.
How many more messages and messengers must Hashem send? The Golden Age of South African Jewry is over, finished and klaar. This is golus - exile - and like every other sojourn in the history of the Diaspora, the South African chapter in the story of the Jews is drawing inexorably to its close. If there's any reality worth coming to terms with, it's not the reality of "load shedding" - it's the reality that it's time to move on, and soon. There's not much time before the ruthless law of supply and demand starts reducing those 4-million-rand cluster houses back to the prices of the 1990s.
And when you do go, I urge you: consider Israel as your destination of choice. As I've said above, Israel is actually a very attractive place to live, and it probably represents your best chance at having your own children and grandchildren in the same country as you.
Most of all, we need you... here.
