Dear Friends, Firstly, I would like to congratulate our director Soni Singer on the birth of her first child, Shai. Taking over for Soni during her maternity leave is our social worker Anat Savion, who herself, recently returned from maternity leave following the birth of her daughter, Maya.

Mazal Tov to Ibim-San Diego Village Director, Soni Singer

We are currently in the midst of parting from most of our Selah students, who have finished the program and are either going on directly to studies in institutes of higher education, or to their service in the IDF. Some of the students have found work in the area prior to the start of their studies, and will stay a few extra months at Ibim. The Latin American immigrants in the six-month Atid program will be completing their studies by the end of this month.

As the summer approaches, so does the "finals" season, and our Ethiopian immigrants in the Ofek (Kedma Bet) program will be taking their matriculation tests. We wish them the best of luck.

The staff at Ibim wish all of you in San Diego a pleasant summer, and hope to see you here soon.

Warm Regards,
Arik Saban, Cultural Coordinator and the Ibim Staff

Up the Snake Path

Getting ready for a dip in the waterfalls of Ein Gedi. Ibim students from the Atid, Kedma and Selah programs joined the over one thousand other young immigrants in the ascent up Massada. Up the winding snake path, under the blazing sun, they reached the top where they were treated to refreshments and an educational and cultural program. From Massada, the Ibim group carried on to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve for a dip in the waterfalls and a jaunt in the Dead Sea. The night was spent in a Bedouin encampment, eating goat cheese, pita and drinking sweet tea. Awaking refreshed the next morning, they set out on a camel ride with their Bedouin hosts.

The Next Generation

As the Selah program reached its culmination, each student made the final decision as to where their next steps would take them after the supportive framework of Ibim. Although, the profile of students on the Selah program would naturally slot them for university study, about a quarter of the students chose different paths as a prelude to higher education.

In the Army Now 

Selah Students Aleksei Gukov, originally from the Ukraine, decided, along with other Selah graduates, to enlist in the IDF before continuing his studies. His Hebrew needs working on, and Aleksei felt he wanted to be more settled in the country and more integrated into Israeli society. Through the army, which is known as an intense melting pot and a source for deep and lasting friendships, he will be immersed in a Hebrew-speaking and uniquely Israeli experience. Instead of waiting to serve after he has a degree, Aleksei will join the ranks of other young men his age in the military.

Counselor Concerns

Selah Students As the students went their separate ways, their counselor Emil Isakov, felt "an empty spot in my heart. This was a really special group, and I was part of everything they did for ten months." From day-to-day adjustments, to the pains and excitements of teenagers away from home for the first time, to helping them with bureaucracy and filling out forms. If a student had to go to the hospital or get medical tests, the counselors went with them. "After they received their Israeli citizenships, they were allowed to go out to discoteques and clubs. It happened more than once that a student missed the bus or was irresponsible and didn't come home at the designated hour. It was the counselors who stayed up, pulling our hair out until they arrived. We became their family and their friends, and I am going to miss them."

The Beginning of a Journey

Living in an immigrant student dormitory in Haifa, Vitaly Shlimovitch has started his preparatory course for the Technion. The majority of Selah graduates will be starting, or have started university preparatory programs around the country. Vitaly admits that Ibim is prettier than downtown Haifa, but from his first day on Selah, his sights were set on the Technion. "I am studying physics for the first time in my life in a foreign language. It is very, very hard. If it weren't so difficult, I would just spend time worrying about how I am going to get by, because I have to work to live, and I don't know how I can work and study at the same time." Although Vitaly's mother remained in St. Petersburg, he has an aunt and a grandfather living in Israel.

Six of the young women in the Selah group will be headed to nearby Kibbutz Alumim for a conversion course. Yekaterina Bogoslaskya from Kazazhstan explains, "My father is Jewish and I began studying Jewish history in Kazakhstan. From our many cultural programs, I became more and more interested in Judaism. Finally I made the decision that before continuing with academic studies, I wanted to learn more about Jewish heritage and religion, and undergo an official conversion."