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WE MADE ALIYAH FROM ARGENTINA OUT OF COMMITMENT - NOT TO ESCAPE A DIFFICULT SITUATION An interview with two couples from Argentina living in the Beit Canada absorption center: "We always knew that our natural place is in Israel"
 New immigrants from Argentina at the Beit Canada absorption center Many different groups of new immigrants live at the Jewish Agency's Beit Canada Absorption center in Jerusalem's Talpiot neighborhood. They receive temporary housing and courses in basic Hebrew. Three hundred new immigrants are now residing in Beit Canada - ten percent of them from Latin America. Zvi Nauman, a correspondent for the Spanish language newspaper Aurora, interviewed two couples that emigrated from Argentina recently and live at Beit Canada - Daniel and Claudia Lerman and Raoul and Ethel Arav. Daniel, 34, is a cardiologist with nine years of experience in a hospital in Buenos Aires. Claudia, 32, is an English teacher and translator. They arrived at Beit Canada in January 2002. Eight years ago Daniel visited Israel, where he took part in a course offered by the Betar movement. As a youngster, Daniel studies at the Bialik elementary school and the ORT high school. He believes that the education he received influenced his decision to make aliyah. "Why did you come specifically at this time?" Claudia: "Because of everything that's going on in Argentina - not only unemployment, but also the lack of security and the economic crisis." "How much time passed from the time you made your decision to the moment you boarded the plane, and why Israel?" Daniel: "A year. I already had contacts with cardiology centers in Israel - Sha'are Zedek in Jerusalem and the Rabin Center. Now I am waiting for certification by the Ministry of Health." "Do you have any advice for future olim?" Daniel: "Professionals should bring with them resume that not their studies and degrees, translated into Hebrew if possible and certified by the Israeli embassy. This will save weeks of waiting." Claudia: "I suggest studying some Hebrew before making aliyah, which will help in the initial contact with Israeli society." Becoming part of an organized society Raoul and Ethel Arav from Cordoba have three children, ages 17, 15, and 12. Raoul was a businessman and Ethel a special education teacher. They have been living at Beit Canada for four months. Raoul and Ethel made aliyah after their daughter came to Israel on the Zohar high school program. "How long were you planning your aliyah?" "Intellectually, forever, because we always knew we were part of the Jewish people and our natural place is in Israel. We weren't able to realize our dream earlier because of our elderly parents in Argentina. We stayed with them all the while they were alive, and after that we came." "Was the reality in Israel significantly different from your expectations?" Raoul: "I didn't have special expectations, therefore whatever I found exceeded my expectations. I found an organized system: When I needed a school, I found one and when I needed a hospital, there was a hospital. I feel that I'm becoming part of an organized society. We come from a society in which people feel unprotected." "Ethel, how do you as a woman feel in your new situation?" "In the beginning it wad difficult - our little son has special needs - until we found a school for special education. Now he's studying at the Ben Yehuda school and next year he may join a class that uses Prof. Feuerstein's special method." "After four months in Israel, what are your plans for the future?" Ethel: "Within a month we'll finish the basic Hebrew course at Beit Canada and we'll start another course so that we can find jobs in our professions. Raoul: "Since one of us has to work, I'll try to enter the job market, if possible, in apartment maintenance or selling electric appliances." "Have you any advice for other people from Cordoba who are planning to come to Israel?" Ethel: "I would advise them to come after taking a Hebrew course. It will ease the shock of going out and meeting people that speak a different language and act different." "How are you affected by the security situation?" Raoul: "In the worst case scenario, the security issue turns into a choice of how to die. If you stay in Argentina, you'll die of hunger. If you die here at least you're fallen on behalf of something you believe in. During a tragedy, one experience national and social support, something that doesn't exist in Argentina. "I suggest not coming to Israel to escape, only if you feel that Israel is where you really want to be. It's possible to survive anywhere in the world. We made aliyah out of commitment and not to escape from a difficult economic situation."
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