Taking from absorption to pay for aliyah

North American immigrants will no longer be able join the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption's popular Community Absorption program unless they move to Jerusalem, Anglo File has learned. The move follows a recent cabinet decision to increase government subsidies to private immigration assistance group Nefesh B'Nefesh, part of which is paid for by the ministry's budget. NBN is responsible for bringing North American immigrants to Israel.

"There is a budget for Community Absorption for Americans moving to Jerusalem. I am currently looking for budgetary solutions concerning all other places, but I don't have any," the ministry's director-general, Dmitry Apartsev, said this week." He said his mandate is to balance funds to geographic areas. "I can't give more to group X at the expense of group Y," he explained.

Known in Hebrew as "Klita Kehilatit," the program is a partnership between the ministry, the Jewish Agency and several municipalities. It was designed to encourage immigrants to move to certain localities, among others Jerusalem, Haifa, Modi'in, Efrat, Ariel, Ma'ale Adumim. Eligible families receive many services and financial grants in addition to the regular absorption basket, such as extra ulpan hours and rent subsidies.

This year, 180 English-speaking families in nine localities are participating in the program, 58 of them in Jerusalem. The current cuts only affect North Americans - as they receive grants from NBN - with British and South African immigrants continuing to be eligible.

"It was a model for absorption that had proved itself, the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, Josie Arbel, told Anglo File. "It was a breakthrough in that it brought municipalities into the picture, which started to recognize the value of Western aliyah. It's especially a shame for Haifa, because there the municipality had done wonderful work for English-speaking olim."

On February 7, the cabinet raised the amount NBN receives for each immigrant it brings to Israel from NIS $1,000 to $1,400 (about NIS 5,300). For immigrants moving to the Negev or the Galilee, the government throws in an additional $500 (about NIS 1,900). In total, Jerusalem allotted NIS 30 million to NBN. The treasury will cover one third of the sum, and the Ministry for the Development of the Galilee and the Negev will add NIS 2 million.

The Absorption Ministry will cover the remaining NIS 18 million, which is NIS 2 million more than it used to spend for aliyah promotion. Thus, to fill the sudden budgetary hole, it decided to close Klita Kehilatit for Americans who Apartev argues are receiving government funds through NBN.

(Raphael Ahren)