2^THE BULLETIN—Fridoy, September 29, 1972
Re-educatinsi the retiif^nees
R>Uin'HOFASERIES
PARDESS HANNA — If the State oflsrael can be depicted as ai gigantic crucible to which Jewish people have cpme from ^^^^a^^^^^^ parts of the globe in prder to |iart^ in their unique experimefit in hatibn-build'-ing, then the Absorption Centre for ri^w: immi|;rants may be described as the^st-tube^tage of that experiment.
Here at Pardess Hanna, in the north of the county a few kilometers from the ancient city of Caesarea, is on^ of the largest of the nation's numerous Absorption Centresi Here the newcomers are mostly from Russia and Rbumariia;^ a^lthough ther^ are a sprinkliiig from Western countries as w<eJ^^ as far away
as Canada and Australia. All of them at Pardess Haiina have ait least three things in common: they all comprise larger family units of fromi three to seven members; all of the fa,thers are professionals, either doctors, engineers, scientists or teachers; and all of them are taking a five-month Ulpan course in which they study theHebriew language so that they can successfully t^ke up their professions in their new homeland.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, new immigrants from the Western world pose fewer problems and have fewer difficulties adapting to the Israeli way of life than do those from the Communist bloc nations
An example of thie former is 28-year-old Maurice Brunner of Australia: An optometrist we met as he came from his just-completed Ulpan class. Dr. Brunner came here a few months ago with his wife and two-year-old child. The Brunners were motivated to come to Israel out of their own free will, moved by a sense of idealism, a desire to participate in the rebirth of the Jewish nation.
By and large they are pleased with the reception they have received and are happy with the modest-but-functional facilities of the Absorption Centre. The one thing Dr. Brunner did criticize, however, was the hygiene. Pointing to a^heap of litter at the side of the road in front of an aj^artment he said: "The only way to get things done in Israel is to scream."
Students here are obviously learning much more than Hebrew language and when the inevitable anti-pollution programs get underway in Israel in the future, persons such as Dr. Brunner will undoubtedly have an important contribution to make to the country's ecology.
BUT MipCH MORE SERIOUS at this time are the pressing problems of absorbing and rehabilitating Jewish professionals from the Soviet Union. Not only are there ciiltural and sociological hangups that niust be re- ■ solved, but also there is an educational gap which in many ihstancesl makes substantial re-training a prerequisite before the newcomer can be given a position*
One example of sociological hangup was related by the director of Pardess Hanna, formerly a high-ranking Israeli officer. One of the Russian immigrants, it seems, a professional man who recently completed his five-month Hebrew course and had received a job in Haifa, came to s^ ^;g^
Absorption Centre. He shook hands arid asked the director if he had to report to the police upon his arrival in Haifa.
When the director told him this was not nieces sary, he expressed surprise:, "How come?" he asked.. "Suppose you have to look for someone?" The director replied: "We don't look for anyone. We don't have the KGB and we don't have the secret police."
The immigrant seemed to understand and he left. But a nioment later he was back and said: "Now wait a minute. How can you keep this country in order if you do not have to report to the police?"
it will; take timej but eventually he and • the others will begin to understand 'that' Israel 'is not an aumdritarian state.
It is also riot easy foi; the Russian to get used to Israel's free-bnterprise system. Graduate engineers, for example, find it hard to understand why they must go for ah interview with their prospective employer before being hired. They even get angry: "What do you m6an, interviewing mfe! If this certain factory needs an engineer and I am.the qualified engineer, what do you mean he has got to interview me?" ■ . '■
And then if you tell them that they have the privilege of refusing the position if they do not like it, they are even more confounded. "What do you mean? There is a factory heeding ah engineer and I am the one that can say no?"
■■■*■■-. ■
Educational and training standards are also lower in Russia where they work by "the list'^ system. Thus "the list" may state that ajn engineer has to be the head
. (Continued next coluxnii)
---VhotOM toy s/k^JM
Austraiian optometrist immigrant Maurice Brunner (left) meets VIP visitors Walter Jona, only Australian Jewish Member of Parliament and Mrs. Jona. At right three, four and five-year-olds in nursery class while parents study Hebrew in nearby Ulpan. All facilities are funded by U.J.A. through Keren Hayesod.
of a. department in a large T.V. factory. Th6re
niay be 100 or 150 persons working in the depart-riient but their4ob .^may pnly he putting scrfeeris into T.Vr -sets." "The result is that the erigiiieer may have had 20 years' experience but all of it was putting screens in T.V. sets and little or nothing else.
Moreover,, they are not accustomed to using their own individual initiative. They will not assume responsibility because they fear that if something goes wrong, they might get into trouble. ' 't'- '"0/-':'/ L^/v
When an Israeli engineer has a problem, he begins to seek ways of solving it. His Russian counterpart on the other hand, won't even bejgin to think that way. but will simply call up the higher authority and report that something is wrong.
THE SAME HOLDS TRUE in the field of medicine. Russian doctors come here with full academic degrees but with methods that are often 20,; years behind Israeli standards. For example there are still many hospitals in Russia that deal only with infections. In Israel this was also the case about 25 years ago but today every Israeli hospital can look after infections.
., So. when a doctor arrives who has had most of his . experience only in a hospital for infections — and there is one here at Pardess Hanna at this moment — then he has to be retrained. To raise the. level of the Russian doctors to meet Israeli standards, they are sent each week to nearby hospitals, not to work but to receive instruction from Israeli doctors.
-the Director pointed out that it is genei:ally quite easy for them to catch up> because being Jewish they would not have succeeded as doctors ; in Russia with anything less than the highest marks. (Marking in Russia is from one to five and a Jewish student could not graduate unless his marks were five.)
As we leave the bustling Pardess Hdnna Absorption Centre; we pass within a few kilo- , metres of ancient ruins that once represented the grandeur of Rome at Caesarea.. It is m historic irony that at this locale the Romans' expelled thousands of Jews and told the about-to-be martyred Rabbi Akivii, to gaze upon his compatriots who would be the last Jews.to set
foot in Judaea. "r. v iG. -
At Pardess Hanna, the remnant continues
:-the!-return.'w--^M-^^-'i ■■■ ■
State of Israel Bonds
l)iive^...-...A^ 15-Oct.31
Tidmud Torah Directory .„.Sept. l-Jan.,'73
Can. Friends of Hebrew University _____-_.,Oct. 1-Zt
B.B. Vane. Lodge BOth . Afliuiv. InstalL liondrt ^ Chani^UorNemetz Oct.!! NCJW Luncheon Oct. 11
BJ. Learning Day______Oct. 12
J.N.F. Blue Box Drive Oct. 15 Hadassah Seminarr-^
Evening „____ ._„______Oct. 15
F.Z:O.C. Film Festival '*Topele''
Social Calendlor Jladas^h Seiulnar ~
Hadassah Seminar— AU Day
Welcome Wagon Cabaret _____ .
All Day
-Oct.
Talmud Torah Brunch Oct.
B.B. Wdmen Art £3190. & Auction ..... .Oct.
B.I. Learning Day .Oct.
J;F.S.A. Board Meet.... Oct
Israel Bonds—Speaker, Menachem Begin ...Oct. 7
NCJW—All Day-National President ..Oct. 10
1
4
5 5
dcfels
Oct. 16 •Oct. 17
FZOC AnnuHl Meet. Oct. 18 B.L Sisterhood Lunch Oct. 18 BX Learning Day ^. Oct. 19 Men's Chai Dinner ......Oct. 25
S.T. Sisterhood___________Oct 25
B.I. Learning Day ..____Oct. 26
MIzrachi Dinner ....... .Oct. 29
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kemember The SMM
Liglit CanOlt^f
Friday, Sept 'Z9, 6:35" Shemini Atzeret
Ti^kor , . Havdalah 7:45
Friday, Oct. 6, 6:21
Haivdalah 7:30
JEWISH CALENDAR (LUACH) 1972
Simchat Torah .........Oct. 1
Chanuka......_____Dec. 1
Tu B'Shevat Purim —.
1973
—Jan. 18 - Mar. 18 All hoiidtyf begin tfio preceding tvt at tundown.
msjmminui
'Sine* 1930 tht^onfy wttlcly publica-r tien ttrVing Jtwry of tht Pacific .Nortfiwast
f^iday, Sept. 29, 1972
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