The OU Job Fair
The OU Job FairCourtesy OU

Over 1,000 job seekers attended the fourth OU Job Fair in Israel this week, seeking positions offered by some 60 potential employers who were participated in the fair. Among the employers at the event, held in the Jerusalem Gardens Hotel on Tuesday, were publishers, investment firms, cellular phone companies, real estate firms, outsourcing companies, as well as organizations including Nefesh B’Nefesh, the Jerusalem municipality, Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI) and the South African Zionist Federation.

MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli (HaBayit HaYehudi) also visited the fair, and spoke to both employers and job seekers.

“The OU Job Board is committed to making sure people who make aliyah have opportunities that will allow them to stay in Israel,” said Michael Rosner, Executive Director of the OU Job Board based in New York. “Most olim hope to find a job and contribute to Israeli society. The OU Job Board gives both olim and native Israelis a chance to find meaningful employment.”

“The job seekers are a mixed bag of people,” Rosner said. “We are pushing English speaking jobs so we assume that most participants are olim.” This includes both those who have lived in Israel for a number of years as well as those who have just arrived.”

According to Rosner, about one-third of the participants are native-born Israelis. Not all the participants – both job seekers and employers – come from Jerusalem, but a majority live with an hour’s commute of the capital, he said.

In addition to job placement, the Job Board also offers online classes to help job seekers learn new skills. Three recent courses include intermediate HTML and Javascript, Microsoft Office Access for beginners, and Microsoft Word and Excel at the intermediate level, said Rosner. “What’s interesting about these online courses is that they are offered for all time zones – in both the US and in Israel,” he added.