Yaakov Buzaglo is leaving Israel. The television personality, father of Maor Buzaglo and the colorful former footballer who helped turn The Buzaglos series into a national hit, loaded nine suitcases and bought a one-way ticket with his wife Hani, aiming for a better future overseas at the age of 68
Yaakov Buzaglo and nine suitcases abroad
One can treat this with half a smile, as a childish whim, yet the event touches us all. “Hello, I’m leaving,” sang Chava Alberstein in Hanoch Levin’s timeless song, always relevant because every Israeli has the fantasy of escaping abroad — even if reality quickly intervenes: “Not that I have any illusions about London…”
Buzaglo senior could have been a star at Hapoel Jerusalem — he had plenty of talent — but he slipped through the cracks and tasted glory mainly as the father of Maor Buzaglo, who dazzled fans on the pitch. The father cleverly managed his son’s career, swimming with sharks like Ya’akov Shahar and Alona Barkat. But football ends, TV ratings fade, and now the patriarch of the Buzaglos has decided his future lies outside Israel
Leaving Israel in search of a new future
Do Israelis really have a future abroad? Life here is tough, exhausting, sometimes maddening — yet to leave everything behind and not plan to return? Time will tell what awaits Yaakov Buzaglo, but it is safe to assume it won’t be easy
Because Israel may be complicated, but it is still home. “To your seed I will give this land,” God promised Abraham in the Book of Genesis more than 3,300 years ago. The miracle of the state’s rebirth after a century of Zionism was not random. To abandon it now? With antisemitism rising, with the struggle for survival abroad just as brutal, and with Europe’s past still a haunting memory, walking away is not the solution
(Record set: nine heart valve replacements at Hadassah)
Jerusalem and Israel will always remain home
“There is no other place,” sang the band Mashina — and it would not have become a hit if it weren’t true. Abroad is wonderful for a weekend, to breathe different air, to spend some cash and disconnect. But real life can only be lived in Israel
So bon voyage, Mr. Buzaglo. We will miss the witty sayings, the mischievous smile, and the traces of an accent that recall Mimouna festivities. But we won’t mourn too much — because you will be back soon. Al Al Israel
