Israel: Information on the situation of ex-Soviet immigrant children

The following interview was conducted in Jerusalem on 21 May 1996 with the Ombudsman for ex-Soviet Immigrant Children of the National Council for the Child (NCC).

In order to facilitate communication with the children and their parents, the NCC chose a person of Russian origin to be the Ombudsman.

Background

        One of the NCC's most successful projects has been the "Natziv" the Ombudsman for Children and Youth which focuses especially on immigrant children. The original project established in 1990 was to serve the Israeli public in general. However, it became obvious that there was a need for three additional Ombudsmen: one for Russian immigrant children and youth; one dealing specifically with children in the Arab sector of Israel; and one geared towards the needs of the Ethiopian immigrant community. The aim of the project for immigrants is twofold: first, to create an awareness in the immigrant population of the notion of children's rights and their implications; second, the successful integration of immigrant children within the Israeli society.

The NCC Ombudsman project began its activities for immigrant children and youth in 1992. The two Ombudsmen for immigrants are able to deal effectively with Israeli offices and services. They are aware of the norms and standards of behaviour of their own communities as well as being native speakers of their respective languages (Russian and Amharic). The project has been highly successful and thousands of children have benefited from it. Outreach efforts continue including printing of brochures in Russian, contact with Russian media and public appearances. The Ombudsman does not require any identity documents to verify whether or not a person is Jewish, non-Jewish, a citizen or a foreigner. The Ombudsman and the NCC exist to help all children.

In addition to individual requests for assistance and raising public awareness, the project works on several other fronts including education and lobbying for changes in legislation.

The Russian Ombudsman handles cases such as health, divorce, children rights, children in danger of abuse, sexual offences, integration problems, disabled children with special education needs, and problems with the police. The number of cases handled by the Russian Ombudsman in 1995 was 1241.

There are three categories of cases handled by the Ombudsman: education, health and legal rights.

Education

        The Israeli education system is very different from the Soviet system. It is geared to make sure that every step is taken to ensure the student's success. The Soviet system had rigid structures that directed the children. In Israel, new immigrant children tend to have difficulties at first learning where to turn to for services or assistance. For example, few children and their parents know that they have access to a school counsellor because they do not exist in Russia. The new immigrants feel that relationships between teachers and students are different in Israel than in the former Soviet Union. They say that in Israel the relationship is not as warm and supportive as it was in the former Soviet Union. For example, in Russia the system would make the teacher feel personally responsible for the results of a student who experiences learning difficulties. Contact would be established with the parents to make sure the situation improved. In Israel, the education system takes for granted that students are responsible for their results. This may explain why many new immigrant students feel they are not receiving the academic attention they deserve. The Israeli school system is able to provide a good academic education. However, it is dealing with serious problems of integration. This problem is recognized by the Israeli Ministry of Education and there is a growing amount of resources being directed towards specific tutorials for students who experience problems of integration.

The other important problem for new immigrant students is language. Students who have problem with Hebrew experience learning difficulties. The Israeli teachers have difficulty finding the time to provide personalized assistance to such students while teaching a class of 30 and more. Although there is very easy access to Hebrew improvement courses after school, the new immigrant students are used to an education system that "decides" for them. The Israeli system gives students with language problems and their parents the responsibility for seeking assistance and resolving their problems. In other words, new immigrants parents and their children often do not know where to turn for services whereas Israeli parents born in Israel would know. New immigrants students experiencing language difficulties often cannot verbally express and explain their problems. Again, this provides an explanation of why new immigrants parents and their school aged children feel left on their own.

In the above cases, the Ombudsman would, as a first step, suggest a meeting between the parents, the students and the school counsellor. This provides an opportunity for both the parents and the children to directly communicate their problems through the appropriate channels.

The idea of a school counsellor also represents a "cultural" difference as, in the Russian mentality, a counsellor is a negative sign for the family. The Ombudsman has several cases where the parents do not want their children to meet with the school counsellor because in Russia personal problems must be kept private.1 The parents very often confuse the counsellor with a psychiatrist, and as such tend to interpret the assistance of a counsellor as an extreme intervention that shows their children to be abnormal. The Ombudsman's job in these cases is to talk with the parents and explain to them the function of the counsellor.

In the former Soviet Union, all extra-curricular activities and enrichment programs were free of charge, whereas in Israel parents have to pay. New immigrant families who are in a difficult financial situation cannot provide their children with these services. Sometimes new immigrant parents who want to give their children a high level of education feel it is not possible to do so in Israel and try to immigrate to another country.

In Israel there are hardly any schools - if any - that are private and not religious whether they are Jewish, Muslim or Christian. On that basis, a non-Jewish child will not be accepted in a private religious school for Jews. There are a limited number of private schools open to all children regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliations.

 The issue of violence in schools is not a national problem and is not exclusively directed against immigrant children because they are immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Such a statement is just not true. The Ombudsman reported that schoolyard dynamics must be understood in two ways. First, children tend to reproduce in schools some of the social stereotypes about new immigrants that are circulating in the society. Second, new immigrant students often have difficulties responding verbally to the teasing because their level of Hebrew is not appropriate, and, out of frustration, they start fighting.

The Ombudsman stated that in the last four years, very few cases related to problems in day care centres have been reported. The Ombudsman does not consider day care centres to be an area where new immigrant children from the former Soviet Union would experience special difficulties.

Health

        A certain number of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union arrive in Israel with health problems. This, combined with the drastic change in climate, makes it difficult for new immigrants to adapt easily. Some new immigrant children who suffer from chronic diseases must undergo medical testing. The Ombudsman helps the families to find answers within the health system. The Ombudsman stated that there are cases of Christians from the former Soviet Union who travel to Israel to receive medical treatment for their children. They are not citizens of Israel and cannot receive free medical treatment. The cost of specialized treatment is expensive in Israel. The Ombudsman has been able to provide assistance to these children through an organization that raises funds for such cases. The children are then able to receive the proper medical treatment.

Legal Rights

        There are two types of cases that the NCC and the Ombudsman do not directly handle for any Israeli children. The first is the cases of children who are involved in the legal proceedings of their parents' divorce. The NCC and the Ombudsman do not get involved with these cases because they cannot intervene in the ongoing legal procedures and become a third party trying to help the children legally. Secondly, for financial reasons, the NCC and the Ombudsman do not intervene in cases related to housing although they will provide advice and information for any children facing this type of problem. In other words, children with any type of problem can come to the NCC for assistance.

All children from the former Soviet Union can contact the Ombudsman for assistance on any issue. Everyone who consults the Ombudsman will receive advice on how to solve their problems. The assistance can take the form of providing the names and telephone number of a person in authority who would be able to resolve the problem, or the Ombudsman would directly intervene.

Christians and Religious Symbols

        According to the Ombudsman, the display of Christian Religious symbols does not represent a specific problem. New immigrant students have been raised in Russia not to wear any religious signs, and they do the same thing in Israel. Saying that new immigrant students who wear religious signs other than Jewish ones are systematically harassed is not representative of reality. Students who are practicing Christians usually go to private Christian educational facilities. Christian students who go to public schools usually do not wear religious symbols for the reason cited above. The Ombudsman stated that no such case has been reported in the last six years.

Non-Jews

        Another problem tackled by the Ombudsman is that of children of mixed couples, more specifically, children of a first non-Jewish marriage who have a Jewish parent after a second marriage and who have not been officially adopted by the Jewish parent. These children will not be accepted under the Law of Return and will not have access to free medical treatment. The Ombudsman has been able to obtain the right for these children to receive the same medical and social benefit as any children coming to Israel under the Law of Return. Four Ministries have agreed to provide assistance in this situation: Immigrant Absorption, Health, Social Security and Education. The remaining issue is access to Israeli citizenship for the children. The Ombudsman has discussed it with the Minister of the Interior and as a first step the Ministry has granted the children temporary resident status. The Ombudsman is pursuing its discussions.

Another issue that has been brought to the attention of the Ombudsman is that of children of divorcees. Jewish women who immigrate to Israel with their children without the biological father's permission may be accused of kidnapping. The Ombudsman requires that the Jewish mother gives a written statement to the effect that she did not have any contact with the father for a long period of time. Based on this testimony, the children will receive all the assistance immigrant children receive under the Law of Return.

Under the Law of Return, the fourth generation of a family with a Jewish parent in the first generation would not be eligible to make Aliyah to Israel. Several children from the fourth generation come to Israel by other means, such as tourists, and receive temporary resident status, not Israeli citizenship. The Israeli government does not deport them because it does not want to separate families. The Ombudsman has intervened on their behalf and the children now have access to the same benefits and rights as any other immigrant coming to Israel under the Law of Return. The children will be eligible for Israeli citizenship at 18 years. The Ombudsman has never come across a case of a family who have been refused services by government institutions on the basis that they were a mixed couple with non-Jewish children.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Reference

National Council for the Child (NCC), Jerusalem. 21 May 1996. Interview with the Russian Ombudsman.