After a surge in ‘war aliyah’ in Ukraine, many new Russian olim seek understanding and acceptance as they navigate Israeli cultural and religious norms
According to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, an astonishing 83,198 Olim people from Russia have immigrated to Israel since the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia on February 24, 2022. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of Russian speakers in Israel has grown to around 1.3 million, making up 15% of the population, including those from other post-Soviet states.
But despite their desire to start anew in Israel, these immigrants often struggle to adapt to the country’s cultural and religious norms even after two years. It can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, so it’s important that we respond to their needs.
At the heart of Jaffa’s Russian community sits Rabbi Binyamin Minnich of the Daniel Center for Progressive Judaism. Known as an expert on “war aliyah,” Minich frequently interacts with new Israelis from former Soviet Union countries.
Rabbi Binyamin Minich. (courtesy)
“Indeed, returnees from the post-Soviet region face difficulties integrating into Israel. Even though everyone has ‘returned home’, the migration crisis continues. From an economic perspective, people are having a hard time. First and foremost, everyone wants to eat, not pray. And then comes the crisis of culture and language,” Rabbi Minich admits.
It is impossible to be fully Israeli unless you are born here. Therefore, there is always a crisis.
“It is impossible to be fully Israeli unless you were born here. Therefore, there is always a crisis,” he added.
The rabbi calls the current weakness in the integration of Russian returnees a failure of the multicultural approach. “People think that because there is a large Russian-speaking diaspora here, they can settle without much effort. This is not the case. Despite Israel’s liberalism, here “Cultural and religious norms exist even among the most secular people,” Minich said.
Dasha Shkolnikova, a 28-year-old Russian immigrant, talks about the difficulties many people face when integrating into Israeli society.
Dasha Shkolnikova. (courtesy)
“The fundamental mistake that many people make is to close themselves off. Israel is not that kind of country. You have to go out and socialize. Everything here is always outside. It’s designed so that no one is home and that’s the culture,” Shkolnikova says.
“Many Russians leave the country involuntarily, but in their hearts they think that they have ‘escaped’. They only communicate with Russians,” she added. “Then it becomes a real Bat Yam (Israeli city popular with Russians), almost like a ghetto.”
I literally fled to Israel with just one suitcase because I was on a business trip. I then managed to transfer the documents and repatriate them.
Journalist Ilya Egorov echoes that experience. “I literally fled to Israel with just one suitcase because I was on a business trip. I then managed to transfer my documents and get repatriated.”
Ilya Egorov. (courtesy)
“I rented an apartment, locked myself on the balcony every day and opened Zoom to communicate with colleagues and friends who remained in Russia.To be honest, apart from one business trip, I have never even been to Jerusalem. I’ve never been there,” Egorov admits.
Additionally, many immigrants from post-Soviet regions feel nostalgic for their countries of origin. Russians may feel that their identity and culture are threatened.
“There are a lot of Russian shops and events here,” Shkolnikova says. “You can basically find anything. But this is the East, so a lot of things feel foreign to you. For example, everyone here is very sentient, and in a post-Soviet world… This is very unusual for someone from.”
I feel as if this life is not mine, as if my life remained in Russia. I can beat my chest and scream, I’m Jewish, I’m Israeli, but I’m Israeli only because I have a passport.
“I feel as if this life is not mine, and my life remained in Russia,” Egorov added. “I can beat my chest and scream, I’m Jewish, I’m Israeli, but I’m Israeli because I have a passport.”
At the same time, he wants to learn the language and feel like an Israeli. Egorov praises Israel’s spirituality and its people’s resilience in the face of hardship and war. “Right now, I’m acutely aware of anti-Semitism in the world, and I believe I have the right to say that it has a direct impact on me,” he says.
Rabbi Minnich explains that the self-identification of many repatriated Jews changes after immigrating to Israel, making it difficult for them to integrate.
“At home they probably felt that they were Jews, and no one disputed that, but in Israel they knew that they were not matrilineal and therefore not ‘true Jews. “There is no such thing,” Minnich says.
His words were confirmed by Polina Alzitzer, a 25-year-old language teacher who was repatriated from Russia to Israel in April 2022 due to the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
Polina Alzitzer. (courtesy)
“I have Jewish roots, but unfortunately no one in my family supported Jewish traditions at all. We didn’t talk about it. My grandfather was Jewish and I always knew it was there, but I never emphasized it,” she explains.
“I see strong discrimination against non-Jews here according to Halacha (Jewish religious law). It makes me very upset and angry. I don’t understand what the problem is. For example: Why can’t we get married without a certificate showing that the mother is Jewish? I faced this problem when I started dating my boyfriend, and it was difficult for me, ” confesses Polina.
“This is a secular country, but it’s also a very religious country. My family is not fully Jewish, so there’s definitely a lack of knowledge when it comes to family, traditions, and everything else. “I feel like I’m working hard,” says Shkolnikova.
Although it is a secular country, it is also a very religious country. My family is not fully Jewish, so I feel like there is definitely a lack of knowledge when it comes to family, traditions, and everything else.
“You have to get used to the tradition and understand it,” she added thoughtfully. “You cannot live in another world, cut yourself off from it and continue to live as if you were in Russia. If you do that, why are you here?”
Rabbi Minnich says his community is not only liberal, but also multilingual and multipolitical, welcoming not only maternal Jews but also children, grandchildren, and Jewish spouses.
“I don’t really believe in the concept of Russian-speaking synagogues, because I think it is impossible to avoid the side effects of ghettoization in the end. Therefore, my community is completely Israeli. They speak six different languages,” Minnich said.
Returnees also emphasize the importance of language.
“I enrolled in Ulpan (Hebrew school) right away. I just knew it was what I needed. Language is the DNA of people and cultures. Without language, it’s much harder to assimilate. ” says Shkolnikova.
Ulpan is a big step, but it’s not necessarily a complete solution. “Ninety percent of my surroundings still speak Russian,” Alzitzer says. That’s why Hebrew is so difficult for me. The problem is that I still can’t fully accept that I need the language. I cannot say that I have completely abandoned my past and my understanding of myself as a Russian. ”
Minich believes that despite all the difficulties, returnees who remain in Israel will greatly contribute to the development of Israeli society.
Israel is a complex country and living here is not easy.People who are happy with Israel ultimately contribute to the country and make it better.
“Israel is a complex country, and it’s not easy to live here. People who live comfortably in Israel end up being devoted to the country and making it better,” he says. “Immigration is always difficult. And the least we can do for new arrivals is to make them feel at home.”
