Retraining Engineers

(l) Yulia and Dmitri Simonoff.; (r) Lena Hefetz;

At any given time, the Absorption Center is host to twenty to thirty FSU or Latin American families who stay for a period of one to two months in an "absorption apartment" as the Cwibaks and Finks had. Lena Hefetz, who made aliyah seven years ago as a teenager, is a counselor to the family-based Mechanitronics program which includes professional retraining and housing for a period of 22 months. Lena introduces us to two of the immigrant couples from the FSU, who have recently arrived to participate. Yulia and Dmitri Simonoff, both atomic engineers, admit with wry smiles, that theirs is not a sought-after specialty. "In general, there is little work to be found for engineers in Russia. And when there is work, there is no pay," chuckles Dmitri.

Irina and Dmitri Yamshanov. Dmitri, who saw the program as the perfect conduit for aliyah, makes it clear that he didn't just come for economic and professional opportunities. "I wanted to live in my homeland."

Sitting next to them are Irina and Dmitri Yemshanov, an economist and a mechanical engineer from the Ural Region. "Our two daughters had been going to a Jewish Agency Sunday School in our town, and we made it our business to regularly attend the annual Israel Fair in Yekaterinberg," explains Irina. "It was there I saw a brochure for the Aliyah 2000 Mechanitronics Program, and we decided to come."

Selah Students

We hear a rustling of papers and busy chatter as the fifty-three Selah/TAKA students leave their Hebrew ulpan class. These students have completed at least one year of college in the FSU, and come as immigrants for this preparatory year of studies before entering Israeli universities. Seventeen-year-old Erzhan Balakalev, sporting a short mohawk, as well as few eyebrow cuts not uncommon to Israeli males his age, completed his freshman year in mathematics at the University of Kazakhstan. "I had been up-front about my plans to come to Israel for the past three years, so my parents were prepared for my announcement." He expects to continue his studies in math and computers at the Technion.

Twenty-year-old Rita Froman from Minsk in Belarus fell in love with Israel while on the Sarel program four years ago, and has been bent on coming back ever since. "I worked as a counselor with the Jewish Agency and began studying Jewish heritage at the university." Nineteen-year-old English literature student Katya Mamotenko from Southern Russia "had heard different things about Israel, but so far it has been good. We are well taken care of here and feel far from danger, even though I would like a little more freedom to travel around."

Nastia Kluchkova from Yekaterinburg began her studies in linguistics and went to the Jewish Agency offices to find out about studying Hebrew. "The emissary told me about Selah." Serious and studious, Nastia admits that "I prepared myself for the worst, but so far, aside from minor grievances, everything has been pretty nice. Someone told me before I left that ' this land doesn't suffer people who don't love it. ' There is something very true about that statement. It is that passion that makes Israel so compelling."

left: Nastia and Ezvhan; right: Rita and Katya.

Spirit of the West

Close in age to the Selah/TAKA students, but with a lightheartedness more common to teenagers from the West, are 43 high school graduates on a Young Judea/Federation of Zionist Youth (Great Britain) year program. All study Hebrew ten hours a week, but spend most of their time volunteering. Jonny Bunt, from London, who coaches soccer in the afternoons at the local high school, is particularly enthusiastic about the program. "We are a group of Americans and Brits ,joined by Israeli scouts who have taken the year before the army to volunteer." Becky Korman, from Montreal, who volunteers in an elementary school with special needs children, adds that having the scouts changes the whole tone of the program "allowing us a deeper understanding of Israeli society."

Eliot Margulies from Wilmington, Delaware works in a community center with Russian immigrants in a "grandfather-grandfathergrandchild" program teaching arts and crafts, and is well aware that the experience is equally important for the giver as for the receiver. In a charming Glaswegian accent, Katie Berkley notes that even though she has not seen cases of dire poverty, she feels that every little bit of assistance is appreciated.

left: FZYers Jonny and Katie; right: Young Judeans Eliot and Becky

Based on Volunteers

Adi Ben Ze'ev, Selah counselor, is a seven-year veteran immigrant from Kazakhstan whose family settled in Upper Nazareth.

While the Young Judean/FZYers volunteer all over Upper Nazareth, dozens of volunteers come into the Absorption Center to help out. Working with Monica are Spanish-speaking volunteers who are invaluable. "They accompany the newcomers to the bank, the health clinic and government offices. They answer the telephone. They help prepare rooms." A group of tenth graders come in weekly from the local school to assist immigrant children with homework. Robert enumerates the various other pre-and post-army, as well as community, volunteers. "We are able to provide the level of services available in the past only through the expansion of our volunteer network," admits Robert, unable to hide his dismay at the recent budget cuts. "A little from here and little from there, and we can give these immigrants the promise of a future ."

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