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For elderly Anglos, absorption takes more than just being with the children
By Raphael Ahren

David Bild dreamed of moving to Israel since serving in the British army during World War II, when he was denied entry to Palestine because he was Jewish. In 2006, the then 80-year-old Londoner moved with his wife into Beth Protea, an assisted living facility in Herzliya. The Bilds had no children left in England, and their oldest daughter had moved to Israel decades ago. Yet they weren't sure they had done the right thing until they left Beth Protea after two years and returned to Europe for a two-week vacation.

"The acid test was coming back to Beth Protea," Bild remembered last week. "Sitting in the taxi from the airport, as it left the highway and turned onto the driveway, I was wondering if I was leaving home or coming home. But the answer was that I was coming home. I made the right decision."
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Each year some 250 to 300 English-speaking immigrants over 75 - based on Central Bureau of Statistics figures - arrive in Israel each year, and the numbers seem to be rising slightly. Some come to realize lifelong Zionist aspirations, but most often their goal is to join their children already in the country, say professionals in the field. However, while several aliyah counselors said Israel's retirement facilities could easily compete with other Western countries in terms of quality and comfort, moving to Israel just for the children's sake is not always a good idea, others warn.

Many factors determine whether seniors thrive after arriving in Israel, such as the individual's age, character, financial situation, Hebrew skills and where they are located, according to about a dozen social workers, private consultants and geriatrics professionals interviewed for this article. They point out that very few elderly immigrants are so dissatisfied with Israel that they move back.

Yet even in a luxurious retirement home such as Beth Protea - which was founded by South African immigrants and where English is the first language - there are cases of despair. On a visit last week, a recent arrival from Johannesburg walked helplessly around the premises, trying to find someone to take him to his embassy to apply for a visa. "I'm treated well, but there are a couple of things I'm struggling with," he told Anglo File yesterday, sitting alone on a bus to the embassy.

"It's problematic to come over in an advance age, even if you have children here," said Yehudit Amrami, director of the L.A. Mayer assisted living facility in Jerusalem's Rehavia neighborhood. "Life in Israel is different; it is very difficult for older people to leave their friends and their familiar environment. Many people think that their children and grandchildren will take care of them, but even if they want to, they are not always available, and some will only make time for their parents in the beginning."

While Central Bureau of Statistics data shows the immigration rate of elderly immigrants from English-speaking countries has remained stable this decade, Stefanie Black, the director of AACI's senior outreach program, says the number of elderly Anglos in contact with her has sharply increased recently.

In the past, she explained, some Americans in Israel would return home to the States when they got older and could no longer take care of themselves. "In recent years, the trend seems to be the other way around, as more and more seniors tend to make aliyah to be with their children here."

"Years ago we discouraged people from bringing their parents over when they couldn't live alone anymore," Black continued. "We felt it was too a traumatic a change for them - it's a long trip and they're taken away from family and friends and brought to a strange environment. We just didn't consider that as viable. But over the years, I have seen that this is not necessarily true: many elderly make the transition better than we used to think they would."

Apparently, she explained, immigrants are nowadays better prepared. "People know it's hard here, and let's not forget that it's also not as easy as it used to be in America," she said, referring to the financial crisis. Most seniors she deals with, however, come equipped with enough funds and social security income to live here comfortably. Elderly who are not so well-off can are in many cases eligible for state-sponsored financial assistance, she said.

Israel's universal compulsory health care is another incentive for senior immigrants, Black added.

"When my father came to Israel he had cancer, diabetes, dementia - and he received full medical coverage," said Fern Allen, a New York-born Jerusalemite who through her Web site - jewishpapercuts.net - privately distributes a guide for Anglos planning to bring their elderly parents over. Allen's 16-page guide, which she published as a public service contains countless resources as well as practical and legal advice, from choosing a health care provider to choose to on hiring a foreign caretaker and equipping a home for an elderly parent.

"While it's a great mitzvah to take care of an aging parent," she writes in the guide, "do not underestimate the time and energy it will demand of you. My advice: Get as much help as possible. Galvanize your family members. Take time out for yourself and your spouse... Try to network with other people who have brought their parents here."

Jack Berman, who moved last year from Cape Town to Jerusalem's L.A. Mayer assisted living facility, praises local doctors for quickly curing his back problems, something which South African doctors weren't able to do. Besides that, however, the 82-year-old says his aliyah hasn't been very successful so far. "I just don't have the friends I had in South Africa. I don't regret that we came, but I'm just not happy here yet."

"It's not easy," Jack's wife Hetty said, emphasizing that language is not the problem because they are fluent in Hebrew. "Imagine you come to Israel, you speak Hebrew, you want to live here and your children and grandchildren are here. Then you move in, hang up the pictures on the wall, and then you sort of stop and do nothing. We really have to force ourselves to go out and make friends."

Besides not speaking Hebrew, establishing a new social framework are the biggest obstacles most elderly immigrants have to tackle, immigration counselors say, adding that the vast majority of Anglos about to enter retirement facilities request to be placed in an English-speaking environment.

Cities with especially large Anglo population offer countless opportunities for seniors to get busy, according to AACI counselor Sheila Bauman. "Israel has a plethora of wonderful ways to enrich your life - there are lectures, cultural events, people can tutor English, volunteer in schools, hospitals or environmental organizations, or former businessmen can lend their expertise to young entrepreneurs, and so much more."
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