Ever since Inga Drogomiretzky was a child, she dreamed of leaving Moldova, in the then-Soviet Union, and emigrating to Israel. "My grandmother would speak about Israel as the promised land – as our land," she remembers. "I always dreamed that one day I would live in Israel."

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the resultant social and economic instability, her determination grew – with the added urgency of ensuring a brighter future for her daughter Ola, 12, and her son Roman, 11.

Israel is giving Inga and her family that bright future, thanks to a program funded by the United Jewish Federation Community Campaign and implemented by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI). Inga's family is among ten single-parent families that recently resettled in Karmiel and the Misgav Region of Israel, UJF's Partnership 2000 community, through a triangular relationship forged by the UJF with the Israel communities and Moldova.

Partnership 2000 establishes people-to-people connections between Israeli and Diaspora communities through initiatives encompassing economic development, education and social services. UJF has established a working connection as well with the Jewish community of Moldova, and its capital city Kishinev, in the Former Soviet Union (FSU), toward helping to rebuild and renew Jewish life there.

This past year 40% of the $11 million raised in the UJF Community Campaign went to support human service programs in Israel and the FSU. Along with supporting national organizations working on behalf of communities abroad, UJF has its own system of "self-directed allocations," through which 25% of the campaign proceeds – $1.032 million in the year 2000 – supports programs selected directly by the Pittsburgh Federation.

"The self-directed allocations program gives us the opportunity to evaluate different programs and determine where we can make what we consider a large impact," said Rocky Wein, chair of UJF's Overseas Liaison Committee. Explaining that the "self-directed" process involves reviewing applications for funding and thoroughly researching each program's merits, he stresses, "we are gratified when we can bring special attention to a worthy community and its needs.

"Some of our local leaders participated in a mission to Moldova and saw firsthand the need for this kind of support for single mothers," he noted. "This program is the first of its kind, and it's serving a group that can be especially needy and difficult to successfully settle. In this case, our dollars are making a tremendous impact not just on the families being served, but on three different communities – here in Pittsburgh, in Moldova and in Karmiel."

The Moldovan women chosen for the pilot program, most of whom are university educated, were selected based on their potential to be employed and integrated in Karmiel. They are participating in a comprehensive program designed to ease their absorption – from start to finish.

The project began in Moldova with orientation seminars designed to build group identity and a cohesive mutual support network while touching on issues the immigrants are likely to encounter in Israel. After arriving in Israel, they were accommodated in the JAFI absorption center in Karmiel, where they participated in a five-month ulpan (intensive Hebrew language training), vocational training programs and seminars on topics ranging from culture shock management to the Israeli banking system.

Their children's conventional schooling has been supplemented with informal educational support. And together they have enjoyed field trips, recreational activities and participation in Jewish and Israeli holiday and life cycle events.

Ziona Eisenstein, Director of the Karmiel Absorption Center, described the Moldovan newcomers as a very strong group. "JAFI spent considerable time helping the women with pre-aliyah preparation and orientation," she said. "They are strong and determined and have bonded well as a group. This means that – above and beyond the help that we can give them – they will be able to support each other."

The Moldovan families, too, recognize the value of mutual support. "I have wanted to make aliyah for many years," said Dr. Irina Zemchugov, who immigrated with her 11-year-old son Zhenya. "I was scared to make the move alone with my son, but being part of this program and this group made me feel more secure."

A graduate of Moldova State University Medical School, she hopes to continue practicing family medicine in Israel. "The economic situation in Moldova is very difficult," she said, "and I saw no future for my son there. After just two weeks in Israel, I already knew he had a much brighter future here."

"This is home," agreed Ina Hudis, who came from Kishniev with her son Edouard, 13. Ina speaks fluent Hebrew, having previously taken an Occupational Therapy course at Israel's Shaare Zedek Hospital and also studied on a kibbutz near Ashkelon. She is an occupational therapist and speech therapist.

"In the days of the Soviet Union," she recalled, "I hardly knew I was Jewish. The only outward sign was a Pesach meal each year put together by my grandparents. But since the collapse of the Soviet Union I have been working for JDC (the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) in Kishinev and have learned so much about our religion and history."

The project in which these women are participating has far-reaching potential, indicated Marcie Lang, Israel Coordinator for UJF. "This is a pilot project," she said, "We have been pleased to lend a helping hand to these deserving families. We hope for their successful absorption and, as a result, that other federations will pick up on this project."

For Inga Drogomiretzky and her children, a new life in Israel means security, now and for the future. The elementary school teacher and artist specializing in painting theater scenery reflected on violent crime and ethnic wars in Moldova and asserted, "I want to live in a country where there is law and order and I feel safe. Life in Israel feels peaceful and normal."

Shvat 5762 - February 2002