America's Faux Gold

No longer is the United States "the Goldene Medina," the Golden Country."  Statistics are showing that immigrants are no longer finding it financially attractive.  In the "clothing for the entire family store," Yafiz, where I work in Israel, Arabs who shop there frequently ask where the clothing was made.  Almost everything is made in China. 

"China has the strongest economy in the world."  That's what I tell them.

 
They don't want the counterfeit brands made in Shechem according to what they tell me.  They buy the Chinese made clothes, even with Hebrew writing on it.

And recent statistics keep showing weakening in the American economy.  An interesting New York Times article is about how immigrants and children of immigrants are returning to the home/former country to enjoy the economic opportunities.

Many U.S. Immigrants’ Children Seek American Dream Abroad
In growing numbers, experts say, highly educated children of immigrants to the United States are uprooting themselves and moving to their ancestral countries. They are embracing homelands that their parents once spurned but that are now economic powers.

Statistics show the same for Israelis:

Fewer Israelis Immigrate to U.S.

Driven by Economy, Ex-Patriates Also Return to Israel

kurt hoffman

Immigration statistics published in April by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, indicate that the number of Israeli natives seeking to resettle in the United States has been falling. Last year the number of Israelis obtaining legal permanent residence in America was at a record low of 3,826 — down from a peak of nearly 6,000 in 2006.
A closer look at the data reveals a correlation between Israeli immigration to America and the state of America’s job market. The number of Israelis immigrating to America has been steadily declining since 2008, just as the recession set in, bringing massive layoffs and skyrocketing unemployment figures.

Read more: http://www.forward.com/articles/154997/fewer-israelis-immigrate-to-us/?p=all#ixzz1sYpgB8HX

Read more: http://www.forward.com/articles/154997/fewer-israelis-immigrate-to-us/?p=all#ixzz1sYozaDp7

In many cases the only thing preventing Israelis, and their children, from returning to Israel is that their American homes are hard to sell. Real Estate is still very weak in the United States.

As Israel gears to celebrate 64 years, this is definitely something to think about.  Wise Jewish parents abroad should think more seriously about sending their children on aliyah for university.  In Israel tuition is much less, and the economy is thriving.  University is a good way to learn to function in Hebrew, the key to successful absorption in the State of Israel.