Pilot Program Accelerating Acclimation of Ethiopian Olim Launched This Week

For the first time over forty years, Ethiopian olim who landed yesterday (May 16) will immediately be placed in new apartments in one of the new neighborhoods of Kiryat Gat, as opposed to the usual process of acclimation to Israel that begins in an absorption center. This is a pilot program led by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency, with the support from UJA-Federation New York. The initial group of families participating in the pilot program are olim with academic degrees who have been waiting for 22 years in Gondar, Ethiopia to make Aliyah. The new olim will move to new apartments whose construction was recently completed and will also receive a wide range of support in the various aspects of acclimation to life in Israel.

In total, about 170 immigrants from Ethiopia will arrive in Israel this week. Some of these new olim will be received at Ministry of Aliyah and Integration absorption centers, run by The Jewish Agency. The goal is to enable the olim a soft landing and provide the support needed to acclimate. Over time, the goal is to have more olim participate in the accelerated acclimation program upon their arrival in Israel. 

Director General of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Adv. Avichai Kahana: "This is a reconceptualization of Aliyah from Ethiopia, in accordance with the policies advanced by Minister of Aliyah and Integration MK Ofir Sofer. When I took office, I met with organizations of Ethiopian olim and visited several absorption centers. The olim from Ethiopia now also come from urban centers and are highly educated. The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration is committed to providing olim the best possible service to help them in their new lives. The decision to move olim to live in apartments as part of an accelerated acclimation program from a comprehensive and up-to-date view of how olim are absorbed in Israel."

Jewish Agency CEO Amira Ahronoviz: "This new program of The Jewish Agency, the Ministry of Aliya and Integration, and UJA- Federation New York will allow olim from Ethiopia to integrate directly into the city upon their first steps in Israel, in new apartments rented by The Jewish Agency’s housing subsidiary, Amigour. This is part of a broader led by The Jewish Agency cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration with the aim of tailoring acclimation programs for Ethiopian olim in accordance with their skills and experience, helping them move into the tech industry, academia and more.” 

UJA's Director General in Israel Itzik Shmuli: "The New York Federation is proud to continue supporting Aliyah from Ethiopia, as we have been doing for over 30 years. We are particularly excited to welcome the olim as we mark Israel’s 75th year and ensure their more direct acclimation, among other things, as another layer the building and resilience of the State. We will continue to act out of moral responsibility not to leave any Jew behind, together with our partners the Ministry of Aliyah and The Jewish Agency, in bringing the rest of those waiting to Israel."

The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency have initiated a unique program under which olim from Ethiopia, including those who arrived as part of Operation Tzur Israel, will be taken directly to an apartment that will be rented especially for them, and not to an absorption center. This shift comes after four decades where Ethiopian olim were initially housed in 17 absorption centers throughout Israel, operated in cooperation between the Ministry of Aliyah and integrations and The Jewish Agency.

A pilot of this joint program of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency is being launched these days, with the support of UJA-Federation New York. As part of the pilot, Amigour, The Jewish Agency’s housing subsidiary, rented newly constructed apartments in the private market in the city of Kiryat Gat. The apartments are located in a new neighborhood with shopping centers and essential community services, and dozens of immigrants will arrive there in the coming days, with several more arriving shortly.  Each apartment is fully furnished so as to facilitate a smoother landing for the olim upon their arrival. 

The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency decided to realize the idea of accelerated acclimation for Ethiopian olim as part of the Ministry’s review of the absorption processes of all immigrants, with the aim of improving and streamlining these programs, in tandem with a variety of new Jewish Agency initiatives designed to tailor programs the unique needs of different olim so as to support their successful integration in Israel.

UJA-Federation New York which places great importance on the acclimation of diverse populations in Israeli society, allocated the funding to rent new apartments for the olim families. At the forefront of their efforts is bringing Ethiopian olim to Israel as part of Operation Tzur Israel, where they are reunited with relatives who have immigrated in the past.

The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and The Jewish Agency intend to examine the expansion of the program to additional cities based on the level of satisfaction of the olim and the success of the pilot.