Volume 8, Issue 1 / Tevet 5765 / January 2005
Aliyah Stories From Around the World
Rising from the sands of the Negev desert, the picturesque city of Arad overlooks the Dead Sea from a height of 3000 feet. In this isolated development town, the Jewish Agency's Arad Absorption Center provides many new immigrants from all over the world with their first home in Israel. In addition to housing, the Center sponsors a variety of programs for young adults to ease their absorption into Israeli society. These include a Hebrew-language ulpan, extra-curricular activities, and a support network of social workers and counselors.
Yosef Adhina, 23, came from Addis Ababa to rejoin his father, who had left for Israel when Yosef was an infant. Four years ago, his father appeared, identified himself, and told him that he was a Jew. "At first, I didn't know what that meant," says Yosef," who had been a business student in Addis. "But I soon felt that I also wanted to come to Israel and to live there as a Jew." He waited for three years in Addis until he was able to make aliyah. "I was very excited when I arrived in Israel," he says. "I love the quiet here," adds Yosef, who had never seen a desert. "Addis is a big city; there was a lot of noise."
He was reunited with his father, who lives in Beersheva and met his four younger siblings. Yosef studied in ulpan for ten months, learning Hebrew and traveling throughout Israel to become acquainted with the land. He also studied at a conversion course. He is currently participating in the Jewish Agency's Kedma program, designed to help young Ethiopian olim overcome educational and cultural gaps, and hopes to attend university after his army service. "Life was hard in Ethiopia," he recalls. "There were no opportunities and lots of financial worries. Here it's better. But the best thing is to be able to talk the holy language, to feel at home as a Jew."
For Gabriela Debdris, 29, September 11, 2002 was a fateful day. That was the day she arrived in Israel. "As soon as I came, I fell in love with the country," she says. "Although it's so tiny, Israel has everything: desert, cities, forests, sea... ."
"Although I knew I was Jewish, we never celebrated the holidays or observed traditions," recalls the young woman, who was raised in Cordoba in Argentina. She had been a graphic design major in school, but was forced to drop out because of the economic situation. She went to work in a graphic design office but was let go, as the situation continued to deteriorate. "I decided to start over, because I wanted to make something of my life," she recalls. She came to Israel with the idea of studying culinary arts. She began by working in the kitchen at Kibbutz Mishmar Hasharon near Netanya. This was followed by two culinary arts courses. "In Israel it's possible to study, to work, to get ahead, and to feel secure," she says. "In Argentina you can't walk on the street, even during the day."
"I had no possibility of furthering my education in the former Soviet Union," says 17 year-old Michael Trent, who came to Israel last year. Michael's grandfather was totally alienated from Judaism. His father, however, told the young boy that he was Jewish. Five years ago he applied for the Jewish Agency's Selah program, which prepares young high school graduates from the former Soviet Union for higher education in Israel, and was accepted. When he arrived at Ben Gurion, he was sent to the absorption center in Arad. "It's like night and day," he says, comparing Israel to his native land. "Everything is good here."
Written by: Shifra Paikin
Photo by: Simon PeretzTo download this file as a word document, click here.
