20:
101:
Berlin is known as a "cheap and shabby-chic" city with a lower cost of living than Israel and a growing population of
Israeli expatriates. It is among the cities that now attract "the type who made Tel Aviv cool" – young, single, and often female graduates; artists, filmmakers, musicians, and
118:
was launched by an anonymous site owner. On
October 5, the page showed a picture of a Berlin supermarket receipt for a variety of products, including bread, eggs, noodles, orange juice, and three containers of a chocolate pudding dessert. Beside it was a picture of a Milky-like chocolate pudding
166:
within hours of its posting and reached 1 million hits within four days. The so-called "Milky
Protest" was widely covered by international media. The site owner refused to reveal his identity or to be interviewed by the Israeli press; he was known only as a 25-year-old Israeli and
207:
and the high cost of living in Paris. He found much less antisemitism in
Germany and a more welcoming atmosphere for Israelis there, as well as the "cheap and cool" factor of Berlin. He claimed that the high cost of living in Israel was "forcing young people into exile".
51:, which has a growing community of Israeli expatriates, the page urged more Israelis to move to Germany, raising a storm of protest in Israeli social and political circles. Compounding the reaction was the Facebook page's use of the same verb (
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758:
89:, is one of the best-known and best-selling dessert products in Israel. The chocolate-flavored Milky was introduced in 1979, followed by the vanilla-flavored version in 1980. In 1986, a video commercial called "Battle of the Milky" (
146:, its large population of Holocaust survivors, and the many citizens who still refuse to buy products made in Germany. "Are the gas chambers in Berlin also cheaper than here?" one visitor posted to the Facebook page.
97:
in Israel in 2011, the
Facebook site owner chose the popular Milky pudding as a new symbol of protest against Israel's high consumer prices, calling for Israelis to emigrate to Berlin to enjoy a lower cost of living.
141:
called the owner of the site "anti-Zionist". The fact that
Germany was chosen as the destination struck a raw nerve across the social and political spectrum, considering Israel's founding in 1948 in the wake of the
217:
had reported that Narkis planned to return to Israel, saying that his
Facebook protest had become "less effective" since he revealed his identity, and that the site would be taken down upon his return to Israel.
106:. According to unofficial estimates, between 3,000 and 20,000 young Israelis and Western European Jews relocated to Berlin between 2009 and 2014; an estimated 25,000 Israelis were residents of the city in 2014.
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The
Facebook page based its cost-of-living comparison on the price of grocery items in Israel and Germany, among them a pudding dessert similar to the popular Israeli pudding known as
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914:
66:. The grocery bill was found to be three times higher in Israel than in Germany. The Facebook page and subsequent public debate became known as the "Battle of the Milky" (
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product topped with whipped cream. The site challenged
Israelis to buy exactly the same list of groceries in Israel for less. The pudding alone cost the equivalent of 1
93:) was released in cinemas, showing supermarket customers racing each other down the aisle to grab the last chocolate-flavored Milky off the shelf. Evoking the
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Five days after the page went live, the site owner claimed he had received 12,000 messages from
Israelis and was actively advising Israelis how to emigrate. He told
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to issue 25,000 temporary visas to accommodate Israelis looking for work in Germany. From his home in Berlin, he organized an "emigration fair" in
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Besides reminding Israelis of the high cost of living in their country, the name of the Facebook page was a distortion of the Zionist ideal of
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and a freelance mobile app designer living in Berlin. Narkis had first emigrated to France five months earlier, but was put off by strains of
123:
in Germany, as opposed to 4 or 5 shekels in Israel. The equivalent grocery bill was found to be three times higher in Israel than in Germany.
47:
in 2014, and was terminated in early 2015. Comparing the high cost of living in Israel with the comparatively cheaper economic climate in
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988:
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39:, lit. "Let's Ascend to Berlin" but more accurately "Let's Move to Berlin," also known as the Milky protest) was the name of a
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on October 14, 2014. Though 2,300 people registered on the Facebook page to attend, fewer than 100 participants showed up.
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stated, "I pity the Israelis who no longer remember the Holocaust and abandoned Israel for a pudding".
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625:"From Tel Aviv to Berlin: Social media takes notice of Israeli supermarket prices, again"
850:"Israeli expats in Berlin appeal to Merkel for help in facilitating 'aliyah' to Germany"
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Facebook pages sprang up to provide destinations for emigrating Israelis, including
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revealed that the site owner was Naor Narkis, a 25-year-old former officer of the
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751:[Appeals on Facebook: Berlin cheaper than Tel Aviv; immigrate].
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817:"Low turnout at 'Berlin' protest in Tel Aviv over high cost of living"
783:[More expensive chocolate pudding drives Israelis to Berlin].
749:"Appello su Facebook: 'Berlino piรน economica di Tel Aviv, immigriamo'"
233:
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branded the Facebook page as "an insult to all Holocaust survivors".
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56:
48:
476:"Next year in Berlin: Some Israelis yearn for new lives in Germany"
439:"In Exodus From Israel to Germany, a Young Nation's Fissures Show"
18:
542:"Waves of young Israelis find a home in the former Nazi capital"
399:"'Pudding Man' who left Israel for Germany reveals his identity"
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659:"Israeli's praise of life in Germany sets off fury on Facebook"
70:) in Israel, or "Milky Protest" in international media.
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On September 29, 2014, a Hebrew-language Facebook page called
881:"'Milky Protest' leader in Berlin moving back to Israel"
252:. Like the original page, these groups were mocked by
685:
Heller, Aron; Grieshaber, Kirsten (18 October 2014).
586:"An Israeli in Berlin: The Chocolate Pudding Exodus"
781:"Teurer Schokopudding treibt Israelis nach Berlin"
907:"Israelis in Berlin and the Elephant in the Room"
687:"Berlin exodus campaign sparks outrage in Israel"
540:Faiola, Anthony; Eglash, Ruth (21 October 2014).
8:
134:) to suggest emigration to Germany instead.
263:, which harmed their potential popularity.
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178:that he had petitioned German Chancellor
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747:Molinari, Maurizio (11 October 2014).
657:Schofield, Michael (27 October 2014).
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226:In a play on the original page, other
917:from the original on 19 February 2015
860:from the original on 27 December 2014
728:from the original on 28 December 2014
697:from the original on 23 December 2014
635:from the original on 26 December 2014
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617:
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509:"Why are Israelis Moving to Germany?"
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451:from the original on 23 December 2014
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298:from the original on 23 December 2014
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793:from the original on 19 October 2014
761:from the original on 2 December 2014
598:from the original on 13 October 2014
521:from the original on 17 October 2015
488:from the original on 24 October 2017
584:Salloum, Raniah (10 October 2014).
552:from the original on 27 August 2019
397:Faiola, Anthony (17 October 2014).
1029:Words and phrases in Modern Hebrew
911:The New School for Social Research
716:Goldmann, Ayala (8 October 2014).
162:The Facebook page garnered 13,000
14:
879:Harkov, Lahav (26 October 2014).
815:Harkov, Lahav (15 October 2014).
437:Rudoren, Jodi (16 October 2014).
411:from the original on 30 July 2015
507:Hagin, Adi (16 September 2011).
905:Dekel, Irit (3 December 2014).
246:Olim L'Maadim (Hebrew name for
969:Jewish anti-Zionism in Germany
789:(in German). 10 October 2014.
350:Collins, Liat (26 June 2011).
286:"We were (almost) there first"
1:
974:Jewish anti-Zionism in Israel
284:Yefet, Orna (22 April 2008).
26:pudding in different flavors
720:[Cheap in Berlin].
81:pudding, based on a former
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994:Jews and Judaism in Berlin
989:Jews and Judaism in Israel
171:officer living in Berlin.
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59:(immigration to Israel).
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85:product and produced by
838:(subscription required)
375:(subscription required)
130:, using the same verb (
95:cottage cheese protests
27:
102:other members of the
22:
193:On October 14, 2015
154:Agriculture Minister
55:) that Jews use for
856:. 10 October 2014.
722:Jรผdische Allgemeine
546:The Washington Post
484:. 11 October 2014.
404:The Washington Post
196:The Washington Post
43:page that coined a
1019:Protests in Israel
959:2014 controversies
885:The Jerusalem Post
854:The Jerusalem Post
821:The Jerusalem Post
718:"Billig in Berlin"
631:. 6 October 2014.
629:The Jerusalem Post
444:The New York Times
357:The Jerusalem Post
352:"Milking a Crisis"
327:. 6 October 2014.
325:The Jerusalem Post
214:The Jerusalem Post
201:Intelligence Corps
28:
999:Culture of Israel
984:Economic problems
979:Culture in Berlin
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954:2000s neologisms
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827:on 29 March 2015
823:. Archived from
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136:Finance Minister
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16:Facebook page
1014:Post-Zionism
919:. Retrieved
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862:. Retrieved
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829:. Retrieved
825:the original
820:
795:. Retrieved
786:Israel Heute
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921:22 December
890:22 December
864:22 December
831:22 December
797:22 December
765:22 December
732:22 December
701:22 December
670:22 December
639:22 December
602:22 December
591:Der Spiegel
556:22 December
525:22 December
492:22 December
455:22 December
415:22 December
368:22 December
335:22 December
302:22 December
157:Yair Shamir
110:Controversy
1024:Snowclones
1009:Neologisms
948:Categories
267:References
254:Right-wing
228:Olim L'...
139:Yair Lapid
74:Background
754:La Stampa
176:Channel 2
144:Holocaust
45:snowclone
35:(Hebrew:
915:Archived
858:Archived
791:Archived
759:Archived
726:Archived
695:Archived
633:Archived
596:Archived
550:Archived
519:Archived
486:Archived
449:Archived
409:Archived
329:Archived
296:Archived
291:Ynetnews
257:Zionists
188:Tel Aviv
41:Facebook
514:Haaretz
241:Detroit
239:Olim L'
232:Olim L'
87:Strauss
1004:Mottos
244:, and
234:Prague
128:aliyah
121:shekel
83:Danone
57:aliyah
49:Berlin
164:likes
79:Milky
64:Milky
24:Milky
923:2014
892:2014
866:2014
833:2014
799:2014
767:2014
734:2014
703:2014
672:2014
641:2014
604:2014
558:2014
527:2014
494:2014
457:2014
417:2014
370:2014
337:2014
304:2014
248:Mars
132:olim
53:olim
259:as
186:in
169:IDF
167:ex-
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