ROI SARIG is about as Israeli as it is possible to be in London. Born on a kibbutz to a family with roots predating the country’s independence, which he celebrates each year, he follows its news and politics closely, visits regularly and plans to return some day.(他出生在一个基布兹，家族根源可追溯至以色列建国之前，他每年庆祝国庆，密切关注以色列的新闻和政治，定期回国探访，并计划有朝一日回去定居。) Yet in the 22 years he has lived in Britain, his wife’s home country, he has not once voted in an Israeli election. “It was never a case of me detaching(脱离，分离) myself from my Israeli identity,” he says. “But I believed that because I wasn’t living there it wouldn’t be right for me to cast my vote(投票).” This year, however, he will be flying back to do exactly that on October 27th.
罗伊·萨里格在伦敦算得上是最具以色列人特质的人了。他出生在一个基布兹，家族根源可追溯至以色列建国之前，他每年都会庆祝国庆，密切关注以色列的新闻和政治，定期回国探访，并计划有朝一日回去定居。然而，在英国——他妻子的祖国——生活的22年里，他从未在以色列选举中投过票。“这从来不是我脱离以色列身份认同的问题，”他说，“但我当时认为，既然我不住在那里，投票就不合适。”然而今年，他将在10月27日飞回去，恰恰就是为了投票。
He is far from alone(远非个例). Across Israel’s wide diaspora(侨民群体，离散社群), the talk around dinner tables and in synagogues(犹太会堂) in recent weeks has been about who is going home to vote. Under Israeli electoral law only a few limited categories of citizens and their families, such as diplomats and employees of the Jewish Agency(犹太代办处，负责推动犹太人移居以色列的主要机构), the main body responsible for promoting aliyah(阿利亚（犹太人移居以色列）)—Jewish immigration—can cast their ballots in embassies abroad. Apart from Israelis living in the occupied territories of the West Bank(约旦河西岸，以色列占领的巴勒斯坦领土), everyone else must return to Israel if they wish to exercise their democratic right(行使民主权利).
他远非个例。在以色列广大的侨民群体中，最近几周餐桌旁和犹太会堂里的谈话都围绕着谁要回国投票。根据以色列选举法，只有少数几类公民及其家属——比如外交官和犹太代办处的雇员——才能在大使馆投票。犹太代办处是负责推动“阿利亚”（即犹太人移民以色列）的主要机构。除了居住在约旦河西岸被占领土上的以色列人之外，其他所有人都必须回到以色列才能行使民主权利。
It is impossible to know how many will go but numbers appear to be unprecedented(前所未有的). The Aid Coalition, an American non-profit group(非营利组织) focused on promoting democracy in Israel, expects over 50,000 expats(侨民，外籍居民) in America to go back.
无法知道会有多少人回去，但人数似乎前所未有。美国非营利组织“援助联盟”致力于推动以色列民主，预计将有超过5万名美国侨民回国。