New aliyah case manager program to help immigrants launched in Paris
The Immigration Ministry and Jewish Agency showcased a new aliyah case manager program during a celebration of Zionist fervor at the Great Synagogue of Paris on Sunday.
Dozens of Parisian Jews danced in the pews bathed in blue and white lighting as a band played Israeli songs, including classics like “Jerusalem of Gold.” In a surprise reveal, a mother and father from the community were reunited with their son, who was serving in the IDF’s Kfir Brigade.
The program also included speeches by Israel’s Immigration Ministry Director General Avichai Kahane and Jewish Agency France Director Emmanuel Sion, as well as video introductions to 10 aliyah case managers.
The new Olim Together program will see prospective immigrants in certain regions assigned a case worker when an aliyah file is opened. These managers will guide immigrants to Israel through the process of making aliyah by meeting with them and building a personalized plan to meet their needs. They will address issues such as schooling, transferring accreditation for professionals, moving assets, identifying work prospects, and conducting interviews.
The case managers would not cease to work with olim after they arrive in Israel but work together to develop integration plans two years into their residency in the country.
France is the pilot program’s flagship, with 10 case managers; the United Kingdom and South Africa share five additional caseworkers, who would spend a week every month in the native country of the olim to get to know them.
Kahane explained to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that demand for aliyah aid was high in France, and while the immigration ministry was looking to expand into South America, Nefesh B’Nefesh was managing similar programs.
The program was started in response to the specific needs of olim, he said. Depending on the country of origin, 30-50% of those who opened immigration files completed the process and made aliyah. With Olim Together, the ministry and Jewish Agency hope to raise the completion rate to 70%.
Many potential immigrants had questions regarding their personal situations while engaged in the aliyah process, but until now, there was no one to help them, said Kahane. There has been a rigid bureaucracy according to which specific questions were passed inside the ministry from worker to worker, and none of them knew how to respond, he explained.
Those working with olim came to realize the need to continue guiding them post-aliyah. Upon arriving in Israel, many new immigrants weren’t fully aware of their rights or did not know how to utilize them. Others were under the impression that they had more benefits coming to them than they did. Israel needs to improve the integration of olim, Kahane said.
“These are people who want to build their lives in Israel,” said Kahane. “We need to not just help until they arrive, but also make sure they settle.”
Regarding those who had tried to make aliyah in the past, he continued, “We are working hard to improve the way that we provide services so that they will be personalized for each person.”
Kahane said they wanted to work hard for the immigrants and the Olim Together program is a major step in improving their services.