Israel's Russian-speaking immigrants aren't facing challenges alone

Tel Aviv [Israel], June 26 (ANI/TPS): In the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Israel has been facing a surge of immigration from countries of the former Soviet Union. With more than 5,000 Russian-speaking immigrants arriving in Israel each month, Shishi Shabbat Yisraeli, a non-profit, has been working to support immigrant families and facilitate their integration into Israeli society.

Linda Pardes-Friedburg, the founder of SSY, emphasized the importance of community support for Russian-speaking immigrants, particularly during times of war. "Especially in these times of war when many have left family and friends behind in dangerous, war-torn countries, Russian-speaking olim need the support of a community," she said, using the Hebrew word for immigrants.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Israel had been steadily absorbing around 1,200 Russian-speaking immigrants each month since 2010. But since the war, this number has sharply risen. Approximately 70,000 immigrants have arrived from former Soviet countries, including young children, senior citizens, adolescents, and mothers who have left their husbands and sons behind on the battlefield.

Currently, an estimated 500,000 Jews in Russia qualify to immigrate under Israel's Law of Return which offers Jews anywhere in the world the right to move to Israel and obtain citizenship.

However, the challenges of relocating to a new country, and adapting to a different culture and language, combined with the hardships of war, and the uncertainty of the fates of loved ones left behind leave many new immigrants feeling disconnected from Israeli society. Instead of facing these obstacles and striving to overcome them, many choose to leave Israel in search of better opportunities elsewhere.

The trend prompted the Israeli government to reinstate a one-year residency requirement requiring immigrants to live in Israel for a year before receiving permanent passports. Under the proposed law, immigrants during their first year would be given temporary passports for travel. Knesset legislation noted that 4,094 new immigrants requested new passports between June 2021-June 2022 within a month after obtaining citizenship, though only 60 per cent of those immigrants were actually living in Israel.

Interior Ministry officials believe the other 40 per cent only went through the paperwork of immigrating to get an Israeli passport.

Countering the Trend: Shishi Shabbat Yisraeli aims to counter this trend by organizing holiday events for immigrants and lone soldiers without family in Israel, volunteer projects with Russian-speaking seniors, Hebrew language courses, professional mentoring and the more recent Argaman Jewish Cultural Project which facilitates meetings between Israeli artists and immigrants to teach them about Israeli culture.

These programs all deepen their understanding of Israeli society and their own Jewish identities, Pardes-Friedburg said.

Lidia Shtelmach, one of the first SSY participants, today serves as the organization's national Sabbath host coordinator. "The recent months have been especially difficult for Russian-speaking olim," said Shtelmach. "We are dealing with a monthly influx of thousands of olim every month from Russia and Ukraine, and the absorption and acclimation challenges they face are enormous."

Earlier in June, SSY brought more than 100 immigrants, including several Russian-speaking lone soldiers, to a berry-picking farm in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem. The trip was followed by a tour of the area and a visit to the Gush Etzion Winery for some local wine tasting.

Arkady, 24, a lone soldier who presently serves in the Israeli Air Force and joined the Gush Etzion trip said, "It was the first time I tasted fresh berries in over two years! But it wasn't just the good old-fashioned fun that made the experience so special, but the opportunity to hang out with like-minded individuals who are going through similar challenges as me, whom I can support and turn to for support.

"I don't know what my plans are for the future yet, but I'm definitely planning on staying in Israel."

The bureaucratic hurdles for Russian-speaking immigrants can be formidable.

"Unfortunately, the Israeli government has not been able to keep up with the increased rate of aliyah," Pardes-Friedburg said, using the Hebrew word for immigration. "Thousands of new immigrants have not yet received their [immigration certificate] which entitles them to government financial aid and welfare assistance."

Without any official immigrant status, dozens of new immigrant families have been reduced to hunger and grave financial distress. Their kids can't start school and the parents can't begin looking for work before all the paperwork is arranged. The urgency led Shishi Shabbat Yisraeli to expand its services from social-professional support to distributing urgent financial assistance.

This past month, the organization distributed one thousand shekels in food gift cards to over ninety families.

Since Shishi Shabbat Yisraeli's establishment in 2010, some 15,000 immigrants have participated in the organization's various programs. (ANI/TPS)