Shalom magazine - The Atlantic Jewish Council

N e w C o m e r s
continued from page 19
resource and that a meeting had been
arranged with a staff member of the
Community College to provide information
on employment and assess skills.
He said the visitors met with the
Multicultural Society, Enterprise Saint
John, members of the Jewish community
and the Department of Immigration,
Fredericton. The Saint John committee
arranged tours of the city, shopping, a
This year the Fredericton Jewish
Community Immigration
Committee
hosted four families who visited the city
as potential immigrants under the New
Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program
(NBPNP). Immigration proceedings
for three of the families are now being
processed. The fourth family has decided
to remain in Israel for the time being
following unforeseen circumstances in
their family.
As a consequence of previous exploratory
visits, four families relocated to Fredericton
from Israel this past fall and spring.
We also offer hospitality and advice to aid
in decision making and re-location plans
of families who are not applicants under
the NBPNP. One such family relocated
here from Great Britain under the auspices
of the entrepreneurship section of the
NBPNP. Another Israeli family who
originally relocated to Saskatchewan under
the Saskatchewan provincial nominee
community Shabbat service and it was a
very positive experience.
The committee (Joseph Arditti and
Erminie Cohen are also members)
emphasized that families being approached
must have two Jewish parents, must know
jobs are available in their profession, and
that they have the required skills needed,
plus enough funds to live for one year.
The expectations of the Jewish Community
are similar to those of other Maritime
program chose to move to Fredericton.
Committee members have also assisted a
new University of New Brunswick faculty
member and his wife from the United
States to settle in our community. Several
community members formed warm
friendships with an Israeli family who lived
in Fredericton the year before last and
returned this year to spend the summer
with us.
Members of the immigration committee
are pleased to welcome these families to
Fredericton. They join four other families
who arrived in previous years and are now
well-established in the community.
Fredericton is an attractive city for wouldbe
immigrants who are searching for a
small city in which to raise their families,
as evidenced by 70 families currently in
the queue. The immigration committee
responds to inquiries about re-location
from many origins. Website inquiries have
been received from Canadian-born Jews,
as well as Jews living in the United States,
Page 20 Tishre 5771 - Vol 35 No. 2
centers - that the families, hopefully with
young children, attend services to secure
the continued existence of a Jewish
community in Saint John, with a stress on
reaching out to the children.
One fear expressed was the potential loss
of families to larger centres. Experience
indicated families will say what the new
community wants to hear so they get to
where they want to be.
Immigration News from Fredericton
by Sydelle Grobe
Hungary and Israel. The committee has
established a set of criteria for determining
which families we invite to come for an
exploratory visit. One important criterion is
indication of opportunities for employment
for at least one of the spouses.
Not everyone we have assisted has
chosen to become a member of Sgoolai
Israel Synagogue. However, more young
families are members now than before
the immigration committee began its
work under the NBPNP. Religious classes
once again are filled with children being
instructed by our enthusiastic Rabbi
Yosef Goldman. Attendance at minyans
has increased. Therefore, the committee
is confident that the process of helping
immigrants to settle in Fredericton has
been successful and that the Fredericton
Jewish community will continue to grow.
Committee members: Sandra Byers,
Leonid Gimelshtein, Rabbi Goldman,
Sydelle Grobe, Igor Kaplun, Ellen Lupu,
Irina Tarnavsky and Israel Unger.
Seventeenth Atlantic Jewish Council Biennial Convention
November 20 - 21, 2010
Halifax, NS
We look forward to seeing you there.