Brig.-Gen. (res.) Dr. Aryeh Eldad, an ex-IDF Chief Medical Officer, feels that \"yeridah\" - the phenomenon of emigration from Israel - is not all bad. \"First of all,\" he explained to Arutz-7 today, \"we should not call it emigration, but rather yeridah - descent - to show that our roots are here, that those who leave are actually \'descending\' from something that is theirs, and not just choosing to live somewhere else… True, it\'s a very painful phenomenon; it is found among some who did not receive the correct education, leading to a weakening of their roots and rendering them vulnerable to uprooting by \'common winds\' - not to mention the very strong winds of the present period…
\"Still, though, we must not be overly distressed about this phenomenon, because there are even some positive aspects to it. History shows us that even during the periods of the most ideological Aliyot [ascents, immigrations to Israel], the proportion of those who then made Yeridah was tremendously high. Regarding the Second Aliyah [1904-14, when 40,000 Jews came], there is a dispute whether [half or many more people] left… But those who remained are the ones who left their imprint on the State of Israel for generations to come. It\'s a sort of Darwinian process, in that those who remain are the strong ones who leave their imprint on future generations and on the national character, while the ones who run are the weaker ones. It will be easier for us to fight and survive without those who, in one way or another, support our enemy... There are of course those who leave not out of ideology, but out of a genuine fear - but again, those who remain will forge the national character.\"