Sense of deja vu for Soviet Jews

Press, 7 February 1985, Page 20

Sense of deja vu for Soviet Jews

GALINA VROMEN,

By

of Reuter, in Tel Aviv

The arrival of Israel’s latest wave of immigrants, from Ethiopia, has prodded Soviet Jews to review their own adaptation to life in the Jewish State since they migrated more than a decade ago. Many have a sense of deja vu when they see the confused immigrants from Africa tying to cope in their new home.

Rali Kalichman, who arrived as a child 13 years ago from the Ukraine, remembers how she was stunned by the gleaming stores in her neighbourhood and the lack of discipline in her new school. TVday, at 21, she is an antisocialist: "Coming from the

U.S.S.R. I had been taught that I should live for the good of the collective. Now I believe I should live for what is good for me.” For the 165,000 Soviet Jews who have migrated to Israel since Moscow opened the gates in 1968, their new life has meant many changes, from learning about chequebooks to understanding democracy. By Israeli accounts, they have been exceptionally successful in adapting to life here. “If I had to give the Ethiopians one word of advice I would tell them to be .patient,” said a Tel Aviv University history professor, "Boris Orlov/'an immigrant from

Leningrad. “That’s what I was told all the time when I arrived. Only time will tell how well they will adapt,” said Professor Orlov.

Unlike the new Ethiopians, the Soviets were mostly highly educated and a high proportion of the women were professionally trained. Soviet immigrants now make up about a third of Israeli doctors, and many of Israel’s engineers and classical musicians. They enjoy a higher standard of living and less unemployment than the national average, according to studies.

A survey by a Hebrew University professor, Gpr Offer, of 400 Soviet families > lound that after four years in Israel 93 per cent of

the men and 76 per cent of the women were employed, compared to 87 per cent of Israeli men and 39 per cent of Israeli women overall.

“Working with Russians, one realises the enormous success the Soviet system had in instilling a work ethic that works quite well under a capitalist system,” a BenGurion University sociologist, Tamar Horowitz, said. In spite of their economic success, Soviet immigrants have sometimes found the changes daunting. “Coming from a world defined for me from diapers to the grave. I was quite,yoverwhelmed by the idea of having to go out to look [or work,” said Professor Oriov.