"In this study, based on extensive field work in the major Israeli communities of New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and Sydney, Steven J. Gold looks at emigrants' reasons for leaving - existing links abroad, political and economic dissatisfaction at home, the lure of world-class career opportunities and cultural environments in global cities, and, in the case of the Sephardim or Israelis of non-European origin, often a feeling of being treated as second-class citizens.

He also examines the tensions, compromises, and satisfactions involved in their relations with Israelis who have not left and with the Jewish and non-Jewish communities in the countries in which they settle. In the final chapter, he talks to Israeli men and women who after years as emigrants have made the decision to return. The end result is a major contribution to the study not just of the Israeli diaspora but also to our wider understanding of migration and transnational identity."--BOOK JACKET.