\"IT\'S SAFER HERE - EVERYTHING IS BETTER THAN WE EXPECTED”
From the Global Jewish Agenda
http://www.jafi.org.il/agenda
The Bolskos are one of 13 new immigrant families who made aliyah [immigrated to Isreal] in September 2001, in the framework of a Jewish Agency program. They settled on Ahuzat Barak, a rural suburb several miles north of Afula on land adjacent to Kibbutz Dovrat. The newcomers at Ahuzat Barak are mainly from Argentina but also include families from Brazil and Hungary.
The Bolskos -- Claudio, 28, his wife Romina and their two small children, Shirley, 4 and Brian, 1 -- come from Chaco, situated in the north of Argentina. They had never been to Israel before and have not been disappointed by what they have found.
“Everything here is better than we expected,” said Claudio, who worked as a vegetable grocer in Argentina. “We came here believing that we could offer our children a better future. The quality of life here is above and beyond what we expected.”
“The uniqueness of this program,” explained Raya Nimri, absorption coordinator for the Emek Jezreel Regional Council, “is that part of the new housing development called Ahuzat Barak becomes a kind of absorption center. The new immigrants live in the same neighborhood and study Hebrew at an ulpan in the village’s commercial center.”
“The new immigrants are entitled to rent their new homes for up to two years,” added Nimri. “If they then decide to buy their house outright, they will receive the two year’s rent off the purchase price as well as a government subsidized mortgage.”
“At the moment we are concentrating on our Hebrew,” said Claudio. “Then we will think about finding work. It is too early to tell if we will stay on here at Ahuzat Barak. A lot depends on where we can find work.”
Fabian and Roxana Taicher also insist that it is too early to make such commitments. “We like our life here at Ahuzat Barak,” said Fabian, 39, “but we have to explore all the options.”
Fabian and Roxana immigrated to Israel with their two children Julietta, 13 and Frederico, 12. In their native Buenos Aires in Argentina, Fabian was a computer technician and Roxana, a kindergarten teacher.
“Making aliyah has been very difficult for the children,” observed Roxana. “They have had to leave behind all their friends and everything that is familiar to them. But I think they are beginning to realize that they have a better and Jewish future here.’
Fabian is already fluent in Hebrew, having attended a Jewish school as a child. He also spent two months in Israel some 20 years ago. A computer systems analyst, he is not fearful of being unemployed because of the global high-tech crisis. “There is always work for computer technicians,” he said.
“The situation here is much better than in Argentina,” he added. “In Argentina there is far more violence, mainly criminal violence.”
Jose and Marel Sayago agree with Fabian’s assessment. An unemployed sociologist, Jose hopes to build a better life in Israel. The Sayagos left behind their four grown-up children in the hopes that they would follow them to Israel for a better future. Part of their dream has already come true. After sending home enthusiastic reports about life in northern Israel, their two youngest children aged 20 and 21 have already decided to make aliyah in the coming months.
From the Global Jewish Agenda
http://www.jafi.org.il/agenda
The Bolskos are one of 13 new immigrant families who made aliyah [immigrated to Isreal] in September 2001, in the framework of a Jewish Agency program. They settled on Ahuzat Barak, a rural suburb several miles north of Afula on land adjacent to Kibbutz Dovrat. The newcomers at Ahuzat Barak are mainly from Argentina but also include families from Brazil and Hungary.
The Bolskos -- Claudio, 28, his wife Romina and their two small children, Shirley, 4 and Brian, 1 -- come from Chaco, situated in the north of Argentina. They had never been to Israel before and have not been disappointed by what they have found.
“Everything here is better than we expected,” said Claudio, who worked as a vegetable grocer in Argentina. “We came here believing that we could offer our children a better future. The quality of life here is above and beyond what we expected.”
“The uniqueness of this program,” explained Raya Nimri, absorption coordinator for the Emek Jezreel Regional Council, “is that part of the new housing development called Ahuzat Barak becomes a kind of absorption center. The new immigrants live in the same neighborhood and study Hebrew at an ulpan in the village’s commercial center.”
“The new immigrants are entitled to rent their new homes for up to two years,” added Nimri. “If they then decide to buy their house outright, they will receive the two year’s rent off the purchase price as well as a government subsidized mortgage.”
“At the moment we are concentrating on our Hebrew,” said Claudio. “Then we will think about finding work. It is too early to tell if we will stay on here at Ahuzat Barak. A lot depends on where we can find work.”
Fabian and Roxana Taicher also insist that it is too early to make such commitments. “We like our life here at Ahuzat Barak,” said Fabian, 39, “but we have to explore all the options.”
Fabian and Roxana immigrated to Israel with their two children Julietta, 13 and Frederico, 12. In their native Buenos Aires in Argentina, Fabian was a computer technician and Roxana, a kindergarten teacher.
“Making aliyah has been very difficult for the children,” observed Roxana. “They have had to leave behind all their friends and everything that is familiar to them. But I think they are beginning to realize that they have a better and Jewish future here.’
Fabian is already fluent in Hebrew, having attended a Jewish school as a child. He also spent two months in Israel some 20 years ago. A computer systems analyst, he is not fearful of being unemployed because of the global high-tech crisis. “There is always work for computer technicians,” he said.
“The situation here is much better than in Argentina,” he added. “In Argentina there is far more violence, mainly criminal violence.”
Jose and Marel Sayago agree with Fabian’s assessment. An unemployed sociologist, Jose hopes to build a better life in Israel. The Sayagos left behind their four grown-up children in the hopes that they would follow them to Israel for a better future. Part of their dream has already come true. After sending home enthusiastic reports about life in northern Israel, their two youngest children aged 20 and 21 have already decided to make aliyah in the coming months.