Between Israel and abroad: the scientists who want to return, but are afraid of the price

33,000 trained researchers in Israel live outside it today, and in life sciences in particular they are conspicuous by their absence. 

When Nobel laureate Joshua Angrist was asked in 2006 why he left Israel, he noted, without apologizing, the paycheck for his work and research opportunities in the United States. It was nice in my two attempts to live in Israel, he said, but I made my dreams come true in Boston.

Angrist is an American who is very connected to his family and community there. For researchers who grew up in the country and went on to study for a doctorate or postdoctoral study abroad, the dilemma of leaving and returning is much more acute. They want to live in Israel, but understand the painful concessions they will probably have to make to pursue their research careers in the country.

Source: Globes