Israelis living abroad are paying thousands of dollars to fly home and vote

Around 1 million Israelis eligible to vote in the October 27 parliamentary election live outside the country. Yet Israel is one of the few democracies that requires citizens to be physically present to cast a ballot, with no general postal or proxy voting and no voting at embassies except for diplomats and official emissaries.

That has not stopped tens of thousands from making the trip. The AID Coalition’s Fly & Vote initiative estimates that more than 50,000 Israelis living abroad, many of them in the United States, plan to return to Israel to vote, often at a cost of thousands of dollars. For a large proportion of them, this is their first time doing so.

“It’s my duty”

Revital Ganon Baruch moved to California in 2011 with her husband and two children. She had never felt the need to return to vote, but this year she is taking a 14-hour flight because she believes Israel needs change.

“I think the elections are very crucial,” she said. “I felt that if I won’t do it, I would feel bad with myself,”

“It’s an effort of time and money, but if I feel as Israeli as I feel, it’s my duty to do it now.”

She added that she once questioned whether she had the right to vote from abroad. “But the way this government is running Israel is affecting people outside of Israel too.”

Why this election feels different

For many expatriates, the election has become a pivotal moment for Israel’s future, shaped by demographic change, the October 7 massacre, the war in Gaza, the hostage crisis and years of political division.

Ido Kadman, an Israeli living in New York who left the country in 1994, pointed to the growing political influence of ultra-Orthodox communities. “We have generations and decades of Hasidic Jews coming in droves to vote,” he said, arguing that many had “never served in the military, paid taxes, or done anything to actually contribute to this country.”

Others say October 7 was the catalyst. Many are angry at Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over its handling of the attack, the hostages and the war, as well as its judicial overhaul plans and dependence on far-right coalition partners.

Every vote counts

If around 50,000 expatriates vote, their ballots could be worth roughly two Knesset seats. With polls suggesting a close race, organizers believe the number, and the influence that could reach, could be higher.

Nadav Nir, an Israeli living in Berlin, said the tightness of the race made the journey worthwhile. “With the two blocs and everything being so close, I would say every vote counts,” he said.

Nadav, an active climate campaigner, acknowledged the environmental cost of flying, but said he saw it as a necessary trade-off. “Letting go a little of my climate-related worldview, to be a tiny help in this huge crisis that Israel is facing, was obvious for me.”

Who can vote?

Israeli citizens can vote as long as they are in Israel on election day, regardless of how long they have lived outside of the country.

Maya Gur Arieh was born in Israel, moved to Canada as a child and later returned to Israel as a young adult. She moved to London a month ago for her studies, but she and family members in Canada who have not lived in Israel for years are flying back to vote.

“We’re all angry Israelis living abroad,” she said. “It’s still very much our home, and we just want the future of the country to be much brighter.”

Israel’s Law of Return allows any Jew to obtain citizenship, preserving voting rights even for people who have spent most of their lives abroad.

Marco Greenberg, an American-Israeli living in New York, was born in Hollywood and lived in Israel for only three years, between 1993 and 1996. He sees no contradiction in returning to vote.

“I think it’s the right of being a citizen,” he said. “I was granted citizenship. I have every right to take full advantage of that.”

Many believe that it is unfair to that people can vote in elections in countries they were not born in, and have not lived in for a long time.

Marco said reactions within his own family had been mixed. “Some say, all the honor to you, it’s so patriotic. Others don’t say that. They say, WTF.”

He argued, however, that the connection between Israel and its diaspora citizens strengthens the country. “Having a strong relationship between the Jewish people in Israel and Israeli citizens around the globe is only an advantage to the state of Israel.”

Will the laws ever change?

Every expatriate interviewed for this report, both on and off the record, said they planned to vote for parties in the opposition bloc seeking to unseat Netanyahu.

That may explain why the prime minister has shown little interest in changing Israel’s voting rules. Many Israelis left the country in recent years amid dissatisfaction with his government, and making it easier for them to vote from abroad would likely benefit the opposition.

The issue is also legally and politically sensitive. Likud challenged Fly & Vote, an initiative that made it easier for Israelis living in the U.S. to fly to Israel for the October election, arguing that it amounted to improper election interference, before withdrawing its petition under a compromise that bars the group from subsidizing tickets or adding group flights.

And while the opposition may be tempted to loosen the rules if it takes power, the combination of Israel’s Law of Return and overseas voting could open the door to foreign interference. The concern among politicians is that a foreign group or organisation could encourage Jews abroad to obtain Israeli citizenship, remain outside the country, and vote according to that group’s agenda.

For now, Israelis abroad must pay their own way home. But for the tens of thousands making that journey, the cost is an investment in what they see as the future of their homeland.