Excellence in Fairs
Aliyah Fairs translate into Immigrants
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above: A two-story extravaganza in Simferopol, Crimea introduced thousands to Jewish Agency programs and aliyah.
below: Natalie Schneiderman gives advice to visitors at an Israel Fair in Almati.
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By placing aliyah solidly on personal and community agendas, Aliyah Fairs keep Israel in the hearts and minds of tens of thousands of Jews around the world. From London to Kazakhstan to Israel, the festive atmosphere replete with a humming panoply of sights, sounds and information is a stimulating, often emotional, and almost always memorable event.
"France has a proud tradition of Aliyah Fairs," states Avi Zana, Director of the Immigration and Absorption Department's Europe Desk. With close to ten thousand participants this past year in cities around France, the Fairs are an important "communal event, for a community which does not have the cohesiveness or creative outlets of other Jewish communities in the West. This is where people meet, and this is where aliyah first came out of the closet." As young Parisian Denis Benaim said, "I couldn't describe France as an anti-semitic country, but it is becoming uncomfortable for me as a Jew to live here. I came to see what Israel has to offer." Avi continues, 'Not everyone will make aliyah, but the French Jewish community has begun to discuss aliyah like it never has before." Avi stresses that, "this is the point where it is crucial for us, as representatives of the Jewish Agency and Israel, to be in the picture."
Tapping into the Tourist Trade
The French choose a variety of aliyah paths. "Some begin with an ulpan. Others buy an apartment and come on visits,
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Mike Rosenberg, Director-General of the Immigration and Absorption Department:
"We are currently exploring avenues for adapting our activities to the revised Jewish Agency strategic plan for the upcoming years.
“The required budget cuts for 2004 and 2005 have, unfortunately, been consuming much of our time and energy. A cumulative cut of more than $8 million means that we need to decide which services and/or activities our immigrants will have to do without, which might be funded from other sources and which are indispensable. This is the major task before us.
"However, we remain optimistic that with good strategic planning and creativity, we will be able to do our job effectively. Aliyah is not something that the Jewish Agency, the State of Israel or the Jewish People can cast aside. It is the lifeblood of the State of Israel and critical to the collective future of the Jewish People." | |
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while some invest in a business before coming on aliyah. Forty thousand French tourists were in Israel this past summer and tens of thousands during Pesach. "Tourists are an important target population," says Esther Touboul, Director of UNIFAN, the French-speaking Immigrant Association. "We have been organizing Fairs for immigrants, so we expanded on a good idea." With professionals and volunteers from UNIFAN as loyal footsoldiers, three summer Aliyah Fairs were held in Israel which drew hundreds of tourists. Esther continues, "We locate the French tourists by advertising in hotels and French newspapers. Real estate options and Israel programs were well-represented. Many bought apartments and many registered for programs which will be their first steps of aliyah."
Expanding Horizons
Natalie Schneiderman, Head of the Ukrainian and Asian Desk of the Eastern Division, explains that "Israel Fairs are the most effective vehicles for attracting those people who have had no contact with the activities of the Jewish Agency. With this type of population, it is often the gimmick that draws the crowd. We have themes, clowns, music, food. In Almati, the capital of Kazakhstan, our concert certainly played a role in drawing the crowd of 1,200. We always include a raffle, which is fun for participants, but critical for us in amassing the new names for use in our databases and follow-up. After every Aliyah Fair, our offices report a definite rise in queries regarding JAFI activities and programs.
"Producing an Israel Fair involves an enormous amount of staff investment and funds, so the decision to produce one is not taken lightly. Each Fair is part of a long and short-term strategic plan for Jewish Agency exposure and aliyah. We were thrilled with the turnout of over 3,500 in Simferopol in Crimea, a city in which we had never held an event. We will begin to see a rise in numbers of participants in long-term and aliyah programs from there.
Opening Doors to the Community
The integration of the Absorption Center into the life of the surrounding community is not a given. Structures must be put in place to create a healthy relationship between Israelis and new immigrants, with each nourishing the other. The building blocks of those structures, Friends of the Absorption Centers, were laid three years ago at the initiative of Immigration and Absorption Department's Co-Chair, Arieh Azoulay.
"This concept of tying the veteran Israeli and new immigrant populations forms the basis for much of the Immigration and Absorption Department's current strategic plan," says Arieh. "Each of the Absorption Centers has created a cadre of ten to fifteen local public figures over the past few years.
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The Nahariya Absorption Center's "Friends" joined the residents and mentoring families for a Succot potluck dinner - everyone brought something. The Ethiopian residents prepared booths with hair braiding, ceramics, embroidery and injera.
| With the threefold goal of connecting the olim to the community, of transforming the Absorption Center into a Community Center, and of garnering material assistance for the immigrants, this cadre works hand in hand with the Absorption Center staff. Each community is an organic unit, therefore each Friends group will emerge and function differently."
The Galil Absorption Center in the northeastern Galilee is home to Ethiopian immigrants. Director Dorit Heyman explains, “Our many inroads into the surrounding community are made possible by virtue of our Friends. "A friend who is a policeman brings groups of immigrant children to Sports Days sponsored by the local police force. Our immigrants were recently invited by our chairwoman, who is from Rosh Pinna, to join a local synagogue at the end of Simchat Torah for hakafot - the joyous dancing with the torah."
Arieh continues, "A recent study examined four Absorption Centers in depth: their immigrants, their staff, their 'Friends of the Absorption Center' groups, and their surrounding communities. It was discovered conclusively that the Friends of the Absorption Centers have raised the quality of life for new immigrants and elevated the status of the Jewish Agency and the importance of aliyah amongst the veteran population. Through a range of projects, the Absorption Centers have opened their doors and enticed the surrounding community in to meet, share and work together with Israel's newest immigrants. |
Exposure, Exposure and more Exposure
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A British couple look into housing options at an Aliyah Real Estate Fair in London. "Dozens of homes were sold," reports Aliyah Emissary Boaz Yardeni.
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It is not by chance that fifty percent of the British Jewish 16-year-olds participated in Israel programs this past summer, or that the rate of aliyah from Britain is growing steadily. High on the list of explanations is the work done by the aliyah emissaries. "The exposure of Israel programs at the Israel and Aliyah Fairs solidifies their status as a known entity in the community,” says Boaz Yardeni, Aliyah Emissary in Great Britain. "Aside from our huge annual Israel Expo, produced in conjunction with the Zionist Federation, we have had two Aliyah Fairs since the Spring with good attendance and feedback." Zvi Kahana, Head of the JAFI delegation in Great Britain stresses that "the close cooperation we nurtured with local Zionist youth movements and the Zionist Federation has reaped benefits for all involved. Our long-term goal is to reach the smaller Jewish populations residing outside of London and Manchester."