These acts of anti-semitism are terrifying and has led at least some communities to rethink their own security systems. However, I seriously doubt that many see the answer for security as fleeing to Israel.
Many also blame the white nationalism/Breitbart/Bannon input in the election and to the administration. Never before has an administration been slower to condemn overt violent antisemetism -- and, as a Jew, I do not agree that "Ivanka and Jared" means they never have to speak out. Because those statements were routine in previous administrations in both parties, my horrifying conclusion is that they fear losing this pathetic - but loud - segment oftheir base. It doesn't help that Netanyahu STOOD silently and without any negative emotion when Trump blew off a question on it.
Contrast this with various RW Jewish leaders in Israel and here routinely calling Obama antisemetic and often pro-Moslem (which I often thought in some cases was a dog whistle to say he was Moslem). Secretary Kerry was attacked the same way. In reality, the US is the ONLY major country that nearly always stands alone with Israel - meaning that there is no way we tilt towards the Palestinians. At most it means that we worked to be closer to an honest broker.
Tom Friedman of the NYT has written of Israel since the 1980s - when he was bureau chief in first Beruit and then Jerusalem. At Davos, he did a far ranging interview (that in some ways was more like a chat) with Secretary Kerry. The most compeeling comment in that discussion was Freidman saying:
QUESTION: Just quickly on this, that if Trump actually appoints his bankruptcy lawyer as ambassador, for the first time Bibi will have an ambassador from America that’s to his political right. I mean, we’ve never had an American ambassador anywhere near there. And I dare say he will miss you a lot, because I suspect – (laughter) – he goes into many cabinet meetings saying to the far right there, “Look, I’d do this, but John Kerry, that – he and Obama – I mean, I would do this, of course.” But they’re not going to have you as an excuse anymore. And when the debate was around two states, the debate within the American Jewish community was right/left – you think the line should be here; I think it should be there. But when it moves to one state, the debate will be right/wrong. And when that happens, you will fracture every synagogue and every Jewish institution in America, and, I would suggest, all over the world. And I think we’re close to that. So thank you on behalf of this one person for drawing that redline.
I have been active in synagogues in both NJ and now VT -- and this is rings very true to me. In VT, it is also the elephant in the room as our synagogue and many churches and a local mosque greatly increase interfaith activities and political actions. It could be that, as some to the left of me have said, that the "two state solution" was always more a veil designed to hide the facts of a now 50 year occupation.
All I can say is that an Israel, moving to be overtly an appartheid state, is unlikely to be a place where Jews would consider fleeing to. I would prefer Canada - if it would take me. Less than two hours away, where the culture and language is closer and Montreal is beautiful. Even with waves of anti-semitism, the risk of being harmed is FAR higher in Israel than in the US. Not to mention, I disagree with almost everything Netanyahu's coalition is for. At this point, Israel is not even on the list of countries I will vacation in.
https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/01/267073.htm
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