Israeli Sabras in North America

They are the paradoxical exiles. Decades of politics, fighting, migration, pride, and money contributed to the formation, development, and solidification of the state of Israel. For all the effort it took to bring the exiles back to “the promised land,” the people were not supposed to leave so willingly. Much to the chagrin of their compatriots, Israelis have flooded into North America for decades. Among the Zionists they are labeled yordim, meaning they have descended or gone down, as opposed to the olim, who have ascended or gone up by immigrating to Israel. Despite the stigma, over 150,000 people born in Israel, known as Sabras, have migrated to North America. Of those, 86% live in the United States, with 42% of the U.S. Sabra population living in either Metro New York or Greater Los Angeles. They are religious and secular, young and old, Ashkenazi and Sephardic, and increasingly more associated with their national identity and culture than their ancestry. They also speak a common language: Modern Hebrew.

Israelis have been making their way to the United States, the neo-promised land for Jewry, from the moment the nation of Israel began. The 1950s and early 60s witnessed a steady wave of Israelis drawn to the economic and educational opportunities America had to offer, not to mention the much more stable political environment. The pull of safety in North America spiked immigration in the 1970s due to the uncertainty and fear that swept over many Israelis in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. From the 1980s into the 21st century, a large contingent of educated young people found skilled employment in Israel lacking and packed their bags for the opportunities and adventure of America.