Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany (file)
Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany (file)Flash 90

The man behind the controversial Facebook movement to encourage Israelis to move to Berlin for economic reasons is "shocked" at the ripple effect his campaign has caused, Channel 10 reports Saturday night. 

Naor Narkis, 25, began the Facebook page exposing the lower cost of living in the German capital earlier this year.

But he never imagined it would turn into a full-fledged political and social debate, and stated to the daily in an interview Saturday that he is taken aback by the response it has garnered.

"There are no political or economic factors at play here," Narkis stated. 

Narkis was born and raised in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan. After graduating the Belich high school on scholarship, he served as an officer in the IDF Intelligence Corp's Research Division, and moved to France - and then to Berlin - after being discharged last year. 

'Bizarre situation'

Narkis stated that the page merely reflects what he has found, personally, is a gaping difference in the cost of living abroad vs. in his native country. 

"When you realize that the cost of living in Tiveria [Tiberias; seen as a luxury city - ed.] is the same as living in Berlin, you don't think twice," he explained. "I would prefer to live in Tel Aviv, but it's too expensive for me."

"Here I pay 30% less on food and rent," he continued. "I have money to go out, money to enjoy myself...it's a different world." 

Narkis maintained that he is not alone in embracing emigration, for that reason. 

"For Israelis, the story is simple," he said. "They are saving money in the capital of the most powerful country in Europe so that they could buy an apartment in one of the most attacked countries in the Middle East. It's a bizarre situation." 

Pundits have claimed that this "bizarre situation" is common to many young Israelis, but exact facts on emigration are under dispute. 

The Facebook campaign urging frugal Israelis to emigrate claims that at least 9,300 Israelis have expressed a desire to flee to Europe over the past several weeks. 

However, an official tally indicates that emigration appears to be at the lowest rates in recent history, with liberal estimates stating that just 15,000-18,000 Israelis are living in Germany today. 

Shock at 'uproar'

Narkis admitted that he had never expected a simple cost-of-living comparison to re-ignite social protests regarding Israel's poverty rates and housing crisis.

"I did not realize it would cause such an international uproar," he said. 

Narkis's page indeed sparked strong reactions - from MKs, from educators, and from citizens of Israel. 

Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) criticized the Berlin movement earlier this month, saying "there have always been post-Zionists and anti-Zionists; these people are anti-Zionists." The same day, Lapid pledged to lower prices so as to prevent the economic draw bringing Israelis to Berlin.

Meanwhile Avichai Shikli, head of the Tavor Mechina (pre-university school) in Nazereth Illit, told Arutz Sheva last week the Facebook campaign chose Berlin precisely out of spite, saying "there are still Holocaust survivors living among us, and this trend is a knife in their hearts."

And Cpl. Anshel Holzapfel, a 19-year-old Jewish lone soldier from Germany who left his family in Dusseldorf at the age of 18, also fired at the campaign, admitting that while life in Germany was "very good," Israel "is the land of the Jews." 

Housing crisis prime motivation

Narkis further dismissed rumors that he is independently wealthy, noting that his parents are a taxi driver and a secretary. 

While he stressed that personal politics were not a reason behind his Facebook page, he did say that he felt that the government was letting Israelis down in keeping the cost of living high. 

"The government doesn't care if 5 million people take to the streets; they know who they're working for, and it's not us," he said bitterly. "Our prime minister prefers 1,500 empty apartments of wealthy Jews living abroad to 1,500 apartments filled by young Israelis." 

"The only thing it understands is money," he added. "If they [wealthy Jews] leave [. . .] it would be the most effective protest in Israel's history." 

While Israel is currently gripped by a housing crisis, many have noted that situation is primarily caused by 70% of the population living in the coastal area, arguing that Judea and Samaria which reportedly is over 90% unpopulated holds the key to solving the issue.

The crisis has only deepened as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to institute a covert Jewish construction freeze in the areas, as well as in eastern Jerusalem.