Last update - 00:00 03/03/2008
Sudanese refugees leave adoptive kibbutzim to earn money
By Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent
Some 60 Sudanese refugees who were adopted by kibbutzim have left them recently for jobs in the center or south of the country, where their communities are concentrated. Kibbutz movement officials believe the refugees were motivated by social isolation and the chance to earn more.
Some of these refugees were transfered to the kibbutzim in recent months after the Hotline for Migrant Workers secured their release from detention. Refugees at kibbutzim are essentially under an alternative form of detention, and are not allowed to leave the kibbutz grounds unaccompanied.
The adoptive kibbutz provides refugees with housing, paid employment, a designated liaison available anytime, school for their children, Hebrew classes, and handling of all health care and insurance needs that arise.
At one point there were 129 Sudanese refugees at 24 kibbutzim. Today there are 61. Kibbutz officials confirm these figures, and say that adoptive kibbutzim were surprised when some of the refugees left without warning.
However, they expressed understanding for the refugees' desire to reunite with relatives and friends elsewhere, even if it means living in cramped conditions. They said they hoped the government would find a solution for the refugees' status here.
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