|
|
 |
|
|
The Aliyah Spotlight -February 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fighting Fear
Empowering Ethiopian immigrants with culturally-sensitive tools.
Negist Mengashe, Director of the National Ethiopian Project, speaking at the January seminar for care providers on the package developed to confront fear in the Ethiopian community. | | “In addition to the loss of control and disruption of familial structures usually encountered by Ethiopian immigrants, newcomers who came at the time of the Second Lebanon War grappled with the added fear and confusion of having bombs falling in unbearably close proximity,” explains Mira Keidar, Director of Social Welfare for the Aliyah and Integration Department.
Chava Almo holding one of the puppets she used to work with Ethiopian children in times of crisis. | | “We realized that not only had the Ethiopian community lost their tools, such as extended family, stoicism and rigid heirarchy, for dealing with crisis situations, but we had not found ways to help them fill that vacuum. In many cases, just the immense changes engendered by aliyah can precipitate crisis.”
Determined to address the problem, Mira and her team contacted a variety of experts to construct a package of tools to deal with extreme stress for both individual Ethiopian immigrants and welfare professionals. The development of the package was made possible by a generous contribution from the UJC, which had begun encountering the issue with their work in the Israel Emergency Campaign during the 2006 War. “After extensive research and consultation,” continues Mira, “we compiled a set of two CDs and a workbook in Amharic.
 Asher Siyum, director of the Ashdod Absorption Center, with David Mulla, senior Jewish Agency Social Worker, attend the professional seminar. | | The material, dressed in familiar garb of both language and style, uses many accepted Western methods for coping with anxiety. “We are trying to help them get past their fear. Parents, for instance, first need methods to calm themselves and then ways to calm their children. We used traditional, Amharic legends of glory as well as guided imagery with familiar themes, to foster relaxation and gentle empowerment.”
“We held a workshop for professionals on the use of the package in January and the project is now being implemented in Absorption Centers around the country. The materials are finding use in the Negev where again, unfortunately, innocent civilians, some of whom are new Ethiopian immigrants, are bombarded by rockets. •
|
Centering on Employment
Jobs as a key to integration as well as aliyah. •Steven, an accountant in Miami •Jolie, a designer in Marseille •Eduardo, a merchant in Buenos Aires: All three are seriously considering aliyah and all three are delaying the move due to concerns about job prospects in Israel.
 Enter the Aliyah Job Center (www.jewishagency.org/jobcenter), a sophisticated employment service network offering a listing of over 4000 jobs and personal assistance to individuals who have opened aliyah files abroad.
“The Israeli job market is vigorous; the economy is still growing and most skills are in demand,” says Tzipi Pinkus, Director of the Community Absorption Unit. “We want aliyah candidates to know the opportunities that exist.” Tzipi wants potential immigrants to know that they are important to the State of Israel and that they, as future employees, have advocates in Israel.
“The Job Center infrastructure is virtual,” explains the Aliyah Job Center Director Chaim Emmett. “It begins with the content-rich website, which has everything one might want to know about how to start a network of connections, write a CV, survive an interview, expected salaries and licensing. It gives people confidence that there are jobs in Israel and that there is a central source for information. Once a potential oleh/olah opens a file, he or she is entitled to a personal advisor. Our advisors are all olim themselves who have qualifications in the field of human resources, in addition to well-honed person-to-person skills. Our staff work from their homes, and communication with aliyah candidates is conducted primarily by email, by phone or in person if the job-seeker is on a pilot trip to Israel.”
Israel has jobs for Steven, Jolie and Eduardo. “We don’t see failure as an option.”• |
|
|
|
 Next
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|