More Israelis are leaving as war, economy and political divisions reshape the country

JERUSALEM (RNS) — When Michal Cohen asked her husband to search for a job outside Israel last year, she said she imagined a life without the constant fear of the next missile attack or phone call ordering her husband back to military reserve duty.

While the couple had always dreamed of spending an extended period abroad to expose their children to other cultures and religious pluralism within the Jewish community, the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and ensuing war gave their plans a new urgency.

“I was having panic attacks,” Cohen, 33, said from the American Midwest, where her family moved earlier this month. “I couldn’t continue living with the thought that my husband, who served more than 400 days of reserve duty, would be called up again, and not to know where or for how long.”

Experiencing missile attacks while alone with her three small children reinforced her feelings of helplessness. As air raid sirens blared during one Iranian attack, Cohen found herself outside with her baby daughter as people around them rushed to the closest shelter.

“I was sitting with my 6-month-old on the grass, and she started shaking,” Cohen, who lived in Jerusalem, recalled. “I thought, if…