“Live in Israel. Live the Dream”: Identity, Belonging, and Contemporary American Jewish Migration to Israel

ABSTRACT

Most current sociological literature on migration examines international moves to the United States and internal migration. Scant research addresses religious migration out of the United States. Utilizing in-depth, semi-structured interviews, we explore motivations behind recent American Jewish migration to Israel and how Jewish identity plays a role in the decision to move. We find that a combination of religious and cultural factors, Zionism, social networks, and the desire for a new start play a major role in motivating migration to Israel. Jewish identity is a common thread across these motivations. Many participants created a strong bond between their Judaism and Israel, viewing their connection to Israel as a way to belong to a larger community and demonstrate their attachment to Judaism. We discuss the implications for studying religious emigration from the United States that move beyond traditional economic models.

Acknowledgements

Richard Petts, and Monica Trieu for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. We remain responsible for any errors

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zachary D. Palmer

Zachary D. Palmer is a graduate student in sociology at Purdue University. His areas of interest include sociology of religion, gender, identity, and qualitative research.

Rachel Kraus

Rachel Kraus is a professor of sociology at Ball State University. Her research interests include the intersections of religion and spirituality, identity, gender, and social worlds.