Double Burden: Israeli Jews in Germany

Set within a theoretical context of international migration in general and voluntary movement in particular this study explores Israeli Jews who left their homeland and settled in Germany. We examine four major complementary dimensions of immigration and adjustment into the host society. To a large extent each stage lays the foundation and affects the one that follows yielding a comprehensive analysis of the issues at stake. We begin by describing the background of the immigrants including familial extraction associated with Germany and the Holocaust and reasons for emigration. We then direct attention to the migration and settlement process, e.g., number of Israelis in Germany, socio-demographic profile, and their spatial dispersion in the new country. We then assess integration into the general societyas reflected, among others, in language proficiency, citizenship, employment, and inter-group marriages between Israelis and Germans. Finally, we investigate the way immigrants construct a multiple identity as Jews, Israelis, and Germans. The study is based on data from an internet survey carried out in 2014-2015.