Why did the Jews migrate to Israel after World War 2?

Answer 1

Jews migrated to Israel after WWII as it was their ancestral homeland, and the events of WWII had shown that Jews were not welcome in Europe. Jews had been migrating to what was then the British Mandate of Palestine (after WWI) for years before WWII, however, and "Palestine" had always had Jews living there.

Answer 2

The Jews were forced to leave Palestine after an unsuccessful revolt against their Roman overlords, about 70 AD. They were scattered by the Romans to all points of the compass. Where ever they were they preserved their ethnic and religious identity, which often led to persecutions. The Jews never lost the desire to return to their ancient home in Palestine.

The modern return to Palestine actually began about 1850, with the Zionsist movement. Groups of Jews returned to Palestine and purchased land. Palestine at that time was a backwater province of the Ottoman Empire, and most land was owned by absentee landlords in Damascus or Istanbul. The resident Arabs, who had given up the nomadic life a few generations earlier, were tenant farmers, with little incentive to improve the land. The Jews, having bought land, had much more incentive to make it productive. This led to jealousy and persecution of Jews in Palestine. During WWI the Ottoman Empire was an ally of Germany. To obtain Jewish support from among the Zionists in Palestine for a campaign against the Turks, the British promised the Jews a homeland in Palestine, in the "Balfour Declaration" (1917). After the war the British did not follow through, but more Zionists continued to return to Palestine through the years. After the Holocaust in Europe during WWII, surviving Jews were determined to get to Palestine and have a place where they could control their own destiny, and not be subject to being murdered by the regime where ever they were living. In 1948 Palestine was divided into an Arab state and a Jewish state - Jordan and Israel, under a UN plan. The next day after Israel became a nation and all its Arab neighboring nations went to war with Israel. There has been more or less continual conflict since, including four wars.

Answer 3

The Jews are the natives of Israel and have had a continuous presence for over 3500 years. A Minority of Israelis are distended from Jews who where refugees from Europe after 1945. Most Israelis are either refugees from Arabic nations after 1947 escaping persecution or natives.

I can supply all the evidence for my statements. Just ask.

Israelis have a right as any other people to a home land. Jews have been the majority in Jerusalem for at least two hundred years. I am sure these statements will upset many who have been lied to.

The category listed is "Ancient History" The reasons for the Jews for settling in what is now called Israel in ancient history are biblical. The remark that "Israelis have a right as any other people to have a home land" I assume is meant for the 20th century and now in the 21st century. My only point here is that for the most part the Israeli's have a right to defend themselves is self evident. That people who practice a particular religion have the right to a separate country raises questions of logic. This question also relates to any State in the world that declares a particular religion to be the State religion. Examples of the potential chaos of having a State religion would make Russia, the USA, and other countries with a variety of religions to be chaotic.

Answer 4

The answer to this question depends on how the question is read:

Why did the Jewish people move to Israel originally?

Jewish people lived there since the land was given to them by God (Genesis 28:12). It was Arabs who moved to Israel in 637, when Caliph Omar conquered Jewish Palestine.

Why have Jews moved to Israel since Israeli Independence?

There are numerous reasons that Jews have moved to Israel since Israeli independence, including the following major reasons:

1) Anti-Semitism in Their Native Countries: This is probably the most important reason why Jews have come to Israel in the last 70 years. The Arab world became increasingly anti-Semitic during the rise of Arab nationalism which equated Islam with Arab identity, making Jews seem to be a fifth column. There were numerous pogroms across the Arab world during and after World War II.

Syrian and Yemeni Jews suffered immense hardships prior to being airlifted to Israel (since they had been actually forbidden from leaving). Of the Russians who immigrated to Israel in the 1990s, many of them also came to seek refuge from anti-Semitism.

2) Holocaust Victims: Many of the victims of the Holocaust tried to return to their homes after the end of World War II only to find that the squatters living in their homes were not willing to give anything back to their former Jewish neighbors. Many Europeans still believed the anti-Semitic nonsense and others thought that they should not be punished for Nazi actions that may have profited them. Regardless, the Jewish refugees needed a place and only one country, the nascent Israel, was willing to absorb all of them.

3) Economic Opportunities: Israel has historically been one of the fastest growing economies per capita in the world. Israeli firms are constantly inventing new devices and technologies. As a result, the economy in Israel has always needed an influx of workers. Jews from poorer areas of the world have often immigrated to Israel to take advantage of this economic situation.

4) Ethnic Nationalism: Many Jews take pride in having their own state and have returned to support the Jewish Experience. Ahad Ha-Am famously stated that a Jew can only experience the full-breadth of his Judaism in the historic Jewish Homeland.

5) Religious Convictions: Many Jews, especially American immigrants to Israel, come to Israel on account of their religious convictions. They believe that God gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people and the current government of Israel has been Divinely protected in order to ensure the fulfillment of that promise.

Answer 5

In 68 CE, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. The Romans did not force the Jews out of Judea in a single expulsion. Rather, the Romans expelled them from Jerusalem only; and the rest of Judea lost its Jews slowly, over a period of centuries, as living there became too harsh. Even then, we have records of Jewish communities who lived in Judea (Palestine) during the entire period of the last two millenia. (See:History of the Jews in Israel)

Those Jews who left Judea went to southern Europe, North Africa, Arabia, the Near East, and (slowly) further afield (especially throughout Europe).

See also:

Jewish history timeline

Where do Jews live today?