Tens of Thousands of Israeli Expats Leave Toronto and Abroad to Vote

Tens of thousands of Israeli expatriates living around the world, including significant numbers in Toronto and other North American cities, are flying back home to cast their ballots in a high-stakes national election. Many expatriates described the vote as the most consequential in the country's history, prompting them to make long and expensive journeys despite suspended direct flights from Canada due to ongoing Middle Eastern hostilities.

Nadav Pollak, a 41-year-old who left Israel for Toronto with his family in July 2025, paid $5,716 for three seats on a 14-hour journey featuring a stopover in Vienna. He stated that the expensive and difficult trip was necessary to participate in the democratic process after more than two years of war and continuous sheltering with his young children.

Another expatriate, Yael Natra, traveled nearly 6,000 miles from Toronto to Tel Aviv to vote, spending thousands of dollars in the process. Natra explained that she had not voted in Israeli elections for two decades while living abroad, feeling it was improper to participate from afar, but decided she had no choice after observing the rising influence of the far right.

The election arrives as Israel's first since the October 2023 attacks and subsequent regional conflicts, serving as a widespread referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration and its hard-right trajectory. Organizations such as the U.S.-based AID Coalition estimate that up to 67,000 voters are returning to Israel through initiatives like 'Fly&Vote,' with approximately half arriving from the United States and others coming from Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Voters arriving from abroad hold diverse perspectives, though many liberal expatriates and critics of the current government express an explicit desire to unseat Netanyahu. Jonathan Barsade, president of the AID Coalition, noted that citizens across the political spectrum view the current electoral landscape as critical for the nation's future.

While some returnees like Tamar Ichilov, Natra's sister, were motivated by deep concerns over military conduct in Gaza and the West Bank, political analysts point out that the exact political impact of the returning diaspora remains complex. Analysts like Dahlia Scheindlin observe that while anti-Netanyahu sentiment is prominent, pro-Netanyahu supporters are also returning to cast their ballots.

For many expatriates, the decision to return stems from a profound anxiety regarding democratic backsliding and international isolation. Eti Wissotzky Cohen, who relocated to the United Kingdom with her family, explained that growing alarm over domestic policies and regional instability compelled her to return and support the center-left Democrats party in hopes of steering the country onto a different course.