(Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Krivoi Rog, Donetsk, and Kyiv) Report of a ...

121
countries are eligible for aliyah to Israel. 115 Aliyah is increasing, he said; 1,533 left
Ukraine and Moldova for Israel in 2009 and 1,701 in 2010. So far, he continued, aliyah
in 2011 [as of April 3] is 13 percent ahead of 2010 and is expected to remain higher
throughout the year.
Aliyah is increasingly personalized, Mr. Peisakhovich stated, so as to ease absorption
in Israel. Two of the most popular current programs are for physicians and computer
specialists to fill specific positions in the Jewish state. These courses are highly
structured, said Mr. Peisakhovich, and are very successful; most participants in these
JAFI programs are between the ages of 27 and 35. Additionally, he continued,
municipalities operate their own absorption programs, offering tax abatements and
various other privileges for immigrants who elect to settle in their towns. Many towns,
said Mr. Peisakhovich, sponsor “family adoption” programs in which a local family
“adopts” an immigrant family and introduces them to local life. The adopting family will
explain banking procedures, health plans,
and other matters that are critical to
successful absorption. Mr. Peisakhovich
said that such relationships often deepen
over time and are very helpful to new immigrants.
Bilana Shakhar and Idan Peisakhovich stand
in front of a map of Ukraine in the JAFI Kyiv
office.
Photo: the writer.
Israel programs for young people are in great demand. Three to four JAFI groups go
on Taglit (birthright Israel) trips every year – and there is always a waiting list, said Ms.
Shakhar. Most participants are from the city of Kyiv itself. Mr. Peisakhovich had just
returned from a three-day seminar for future participants in Masa (intensive, often
specific-interest program of at least five months) and Selah (10-month preparation for
university/college in Israel); a total of 80 people attended - 40 future participants and
one of his/her parents. Mr. Peisakhovich recalled that most of the families were poor
and from small towns, such as Bila Tserkva (Belaya Tserkov) and Tulchyn. Most of the
young people are not halachically Jewish and few are interested in learning about
Judaism, Jewish history, or any other aspect of their Jewish heritage. Some are weak
academically. Their primary interest in Masa or Selah is escaping the impoverishment
of small Ukrainian towns and a hope for better economic circumstances in Israel. A
recent Masa fair in Kyiv drew between 300 and 400 young people, Ms. Shakhar noted;
most attendees were from Kyiv, but approximately 100 made their way to the Ukrainian
capital from smaller cities.
115
The number includes individuals defined as Jews under the Israeli Law of Return plus their non-
Jewish first-degree relatives.