Veteran Immigrants Research Articles

How Income and Discrimination Shape the Acceptance of Newcomers in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of Native-Born and Immigrant Populations.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how income and belonging to a discriminated group are associated with perceptions of threats posed by immigrants, and with the willingness to accept newcomers of a different/same race or ethnicity as most people of the receiving country, or newcomers who came from poor countries outside Europe. The study transcended Borjas's theory of 'competing and complementary' to newcomer groups of native workers, expanding it from the economic and labor spheres to the symbolic cultural and social spheres, and extending this theory to the foreign-born European population. The study used data from the European Social Survey Round 10 Data. Three local population groups in the EU were examined: the native-born population, immigrants from non-EU countries living in the EU, and migrants from EU countries living in other EU countries. The study revealed that for native-born people, the salient factor predicting their perceived threats and willingness to accept newcomers was income, and for non-EU veteran immigrants, the salient factor was the feeling of belonging to a discriminated group. Economically disadvantaged native-born people in the EU were a group competing with newcomers. However, disadvantaged and discriminated non-EU immigrants were complementary to newcomers. The study showed that a disadvantaged group may be either competing or complementary to newcomers, depending on the origin of the group's members rather than on the origin of newcomers.

Культурная дивергенция в русскоязычном сообществе Израиля

The objective of the present research is to discover and explain a variety of cultural pref­erences within the Russian-speaking community in Israel. We juxtapose veteran immigrants of the ‘1990 wave’ (including children and teenagers who came with their parents, so called 1.5ers) and representatives of the ‘Putin Exodus’ who arrived in the country in 2014—2018. The divergence in preferences and attitudes was revealed thanks to the discourse, semantic and comparative analysis. The research was conducted on the material of the free association test and blogs of the Russian Israelis. The association test revealed cultural stereotypes of the Russian Israelis who did not write blogs. The ‘1990s wave’ immigrants revealed their deep connection to the Soviet Jewishness and Israeli citizenship regardless of their religious confes­sion. For the 1.5ers, the Russian language lost its special function as the key to the cultural heritage. The ‘1990 wave’ immigrants and 1.5ers experience the Russian language attrition. The representatives of the 1.5 generation prefer to participate in the cultural events in He­brew; they are involved in the Hebrew cultural context. The representatives of the ‘Putin Ex­odus’ consider the State of Israel to be a Western democratic state. They ignore the peculiari­ties of the Middle East country, do not support ‘mestechkovy’ culture of the Russian street and disagree to prioritize the Jewish traditions. The cultural discrepancy does not match the divergence between elite and mass culture.

Nano-poetics and a nano-representation of the Israeli milieu in Yossel Birstein’s short-short bus-stories

ABSTRACT This article discusses the unique nano-poetics and its nano-representation of the Israeli milieu, as found in Yossel Birstein’s short-short bus-stories. While these stories demonstrate the author’s poetics, they also constitute a miniature replica of Israeli society, emphasising the following four major aspects of this society: (1) the tension between the Jewish past and the Israeli present; (2) the complex dynamics between private and public life; (3) the gap between newcomers and veteran immigrants; and (4) a mentality dominated by nervous tension combined with the unique form of audacity known as chutzpah. Birstein presents the bus both as the inspiration for and as the object of his writing, and this narrative framework showcases the many variants in Israeli culture.

The "Sick immigrant" and "Healthy immigrant" phenomenon among Jews migrating from the USSR to Israel.

The “healthy immigrant” phenomenon finds that immigrants are in better health than natives, while the “sick immigrant” phenomenon finds the opposite. We examined this phenomenon using the relationship between immigration and mortality, stratified by income level, among Soviet immigrants to Israel in the 1990s, compared to veteran immigrants with similar ethnic origin.A retrospective cohort study of mortality during 1990–2016 was conducted among 63,847 immigrants born during 1940–1950 in the USSR or Eastern Europe, and who immigrated to Israel during 1990–1995. They were compared to a control group of 75,347 Israeli Jews born during the same period in the same countries or second-generation immigrants with parents from these countries and who immigrated by 1960.After adjusting for sex, age, income, and marital status, we found higher mortality rates among immigrants than non-immigrants for the total study population (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 1.399, 99% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.341, 1.459) and among 19,033 men (AHR = 2.852, 99%CI = 2.619, 3.107) and 24,355 women (AHR = 1.705, 99%CI = 1.566, 1.857) with low incomes. The opposite relationship was found for 25,436 men (AHR = 0.710,99%CI = 0.617, 0.0.816) and for 12,922 women (AHR = 0.693,99%CI = 0.534, 0.900) with high incomes.When examining the total study population, we found evidence to support the “sick immigrant” phenomenon. However, both men and women in the high-income subgroup, and women in the middle-income subgroup, demonstrated the “healthy immigrant” phenomenon. Decision-makers in Israel should pay particular attention to immigrants from a low socioeconomic level. Our results emphasize the need for social stratification when examining the relationships between immigration and health outcomes.

The 'Sick immigrant' and 'Healthy immigrant' phenomenon among Jews migrating from the USSR to Israel

Abstract The “healthy immigrant” phenomenon attributes health benefits to immigrants. We examined this phenomenon using the relationship between immigration and mortality, by income level, among Soviet immigrants to Israel in the 1990s, in comparison to veteran immigrants with similar genetic makeup. A retrospective cohort study of mortality during 1996-2016 was conducted among 99,037 immigrants born during 1940-1955 in the USSR or Eastern Europe who immigrated during 1990-1995, compared to a control group of 119,150 Jews born during 1940-1955 who and/or whose parents were born in those same countries and immigrated by 1960. After adjusting for gender, age, income and marital status, we found higher mortality rates among immigrants compared to non-immigrants for the total study population (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 1.297, 99% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.248, 1.348) and among 27,563 men (AHR = 2.941, 99%CI = 2.704, 3.199) and 32,220 women (AHR = 1.756, 99%CI = 1.614, 1.909) with low incomes. The opposite relationship was found for 45,863 men (AHR = 0.714 ,99%CI = 0.635, 0.804) and for 24,852 women (AHR = 0.738 ,99%CI = 0.596, 0.913) with high incomes. For the total study population, we found support for the “sick immigrant” phenomenon. However, both genders in the high-income subgroup, and women in the middle-income subgroup, demonstrated the “healthy immigrant” phenomenon. Decision makers in Israel should devote particular attention to immigrants from a low socioeconomic level. Our results emphasize the need for social stratification when examining the relationships between immigration and health outcomes. Key messages For the total study population, we found support for the “sick immigrant” phenomenon. However, both genders in the high-income subgroup, and women in the middle-income subgroup, demonstrated the “healthy immigrant” phenomenon.

Do Immigrants Compete with Natives in the Greek Labour Market? Evidence from the Skill-Cell Approach before and during the Great Recession

Abstract We attempt to identify the impact of immigration on the labour market opportunities of resident workers by analysing data from the Greek Labour Force Survey (1999–2015) as well as census data for 1981, 1991, and 2001. Slicing the national labour market into education and experience segments, we find modest adverse effects on the employment outcomes of natives and usually insignificant effects on earnings. Our results are generally robust to alternative definitions of skill groups and the potential “downgrading” of immigrants. Importantly, we obtain similar results in qualitative terms when we account for potential endogenous selection into skill-cells, by implementing an instrumental variables approach in the spirit of Card (2001). We also show that veteran immigrants compete more heavily with natives than recent immigrants do. In addition, our analysis indicates that the effects of immigration were economically more important during the Greek crisis. Finally, the evidence supports the idea that migrants push natives towards complementary, non-routine tasks.

Anxiety and depression in older patients: the role of culture and acculturation

BackgroundAnxiety and depression are major health concerns in general among older adults and especially during hospitalization, as they lead to numerous negative outcomes. There is currently no sufficient body of research examining the role of cultural background in patients’ experience of these conditions. Better identifying patients at risk may help reduce inequity and provide patient-centered, culturally sensitive care. The current study explores the roles of culture and acculturation in anxiety and depression levels in recent and veteran Russian immigrants compared with native Israelis and veteran immigrants from Middle Eastern countries.MethodsSecondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of cognitively intact older adults (70+) hospitalized for acute conditions in internal medical units in two hospitals in Israel during 2009–11. Depression and anxiety were assessed within 48 h of admission through personal interview using the Tucker Depression Rating and the Short Anxiety Screening Tests. Demographic and health data were collected from electronic health records. Immigration status was defined by country and emigration year. Study hypotheses were tested employing analyses of covariance, modeling anxiety and depression symptoms separately, controlling for potential confounders.ResultsSignificant differences between study groups were observed in fully adjusted models for anxiety symptoms (F[3, 515] = 5.24, p < .01) when both veteran (21 ± 5.83) and recent (20.2 ± 5.23) Russian immigrants expressed higher anxiety levels than native Israelis (18.35 ± 5.23) and veteran immigrants (18 ± 5.03) (from p = .05 to p < 0.01). No significant differences were found in anxiety symptoms between recent and veteran Russian immigrants. Both depression and anxiety symptoms showed an interaction effect of study immigration groups by sex: while no differences were observed among native Israelis, significantly higher depression and anxiety were observed among women than men in the other groups.ConclusionsCulture of origin may play a central role in determining expression of anxiety symptoms and perhaps modify acculturation. During hospitalization, special attention should be given to the level of anxiety among not only recent but also veteran immigrants. Further research may explore whether elevated anxiety is a result of stress due to hospitalization or a stable trait.

The Role of Leadership in the Migration Decision-Making Process

ABSTRACTThe study explores the involvement of leadership in the migration decision-making process of North American immigrants to Israel. The results, based on qualitative and quantitative research methods, indicate that more than half of the immigrants in our sample did not attribute much significance to the influence of a specific leader. However, they acknowledged the involvement of several influential figures; some of these leaders worked in Israeli and Jewish organizations and served as opinion or servant leaders and others were veteran immigrants who served as role models. Apparently, leadership in voluntary migration is manifested as distributed leadership and virtual e-leadership.

Leisure in the twenty-first century: the case of Israel

The article deals with the concept of leisure in Israel in terms of time, activity, state of mind, and values. The purpose is to examine changes in how leisure has been conceived in Israel during its 65 years of existence. Which factors have shaped concepts of leisure and styles of leisure in Israel, a country with cultural foundations in both tradition and modernity, and one that encompasses a social culture consisting of new and veteran immigrants, minorities, religious and secular populations? The article examines Israel’s culture of leisure and its transformations. It may have practical implications for the educational challenge of imparting leisure behaviours, promoting understanding and tolerance of those different than us – and possibly even imparting ideal leisure practices.

The kibbutz and the ma’abara (transit camp): The case of the Upper Galilee kibbutzim and Kiryat Shmona, 1949–1953

This article examines the relations between the kibbutzim of the Upper Galilee and the Khalsa (Kiryat Shmona) transit camp in its early years. This test case represents a microcosm of the encounter between veteran pioneers and new immigrants, between Ashkenazim and Mizrahim, between those who regarded themselves as the avant-garde of the Labor Zionist movement and new immigrants whose fate symbolized the mass aliyah. The kibbutzim played a decisive role in the establishment of Kiryat Shmona. Their sense of responsibility, compassion, and their genuine desire to help develop social and communal services were no less powerful than their trend towards isolation. However, the kibbutz members’ orientalist views undermined their ability to attain their objectives. Faced with what they perceived as the paternalistic approach of the kibbutzim, the inhabitants of the transit camp, especially the Yemenite immigrants, refused to submit to the powerful pressure exerted upon them to abandon their traditional Jewish culture and manifested their loyalty to their own values.

The contribution of parental smoking history and socio-demographic factors to the smoking behavior of Israeli women

This study examined the interplay between sociodemographic factors and parental smoking history in shaping the smoking behavior of Israeli women (N = 302). The study was conducted in the Negev region, which is characterized by a high proportion of immigrants and high percentage of low socioeconomic and educational groups. The specific objectives of this study were to examine: (1) The prevalence and characteristics of women smokers, ex-smokers and never-smokers; and (2) the contribution of education and parent smoking history to women’s current smoking. Low levels of education, being Israeli born or veteran immigrants of European–American origin significantly increased the risk of smoking, whereas an orthodox lifestyle and new immigrant status significantly reduced the likelihood of smoking. Occasional smokers reported significantly higher primary care utilization than never smokers. A significant relationship between smoking and pain, gynecological symptoms and depression was found. Results indicate that childhood exposure to maternal smoking was a significant risk factor for smoking, whereas paternal past smoking negatively affects smoking in women. Also, results show that parental educational level affects women’s smoking behavior indirectly by influencing their own educational attainment, which in turn is negatively associated with the likelihood of smoking. Mothers with higher education were more likely to smoke, an effect that was reversed for their daughters. Our results demonstrate how demographic, parental and lifestyle factors affect women’s smoking in a multi-ethnic society and highlight the need to examine both generational and intergenerational effects.

Improvements and Decline in the Physical Functioning of Israeli Older Adults

The current study depicts improvement and decline in functioning among 3 population groups of Israeli older adults: Jews and veteran immigrants, former Soviet Union immigrants, and Arabs. Using longitudinal data from 2005 and 2010 Survey of Health and Retirement (SHARE) in Israel (n = 982), we examined 4 functional changes in late life in mobility, movement, activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental ADL, as a function of sociodemographic, health, and social variables The findings reveal that physical functioning among older adults can decline as well as improve over time. Older age, higher number of diseases and comorbidity, living with others (not the spouse) compared with living alone, receiving informal help and formal help with homemaking, and declined mental health and cognitive status predict deterioration in physical functioning. Also, Arab older adults are at higher risk of deterioration over time compared with Jewish older adults. Findings imply that noncompatible assistance to older adults may "save them the hassle" of doing things by themselves and thus, weakens a potential functional rehabilitation process. There is a need to guide not only professional personnel but also nonprofessional home care workers and family members on how to encourage and retain older adults' functions as much as possible in order to improve their quality of life. Another implication of investing in rehabilitation is that it might reduce the disability rate among older adults and thus save health expenditures on long-term care at the macrosocial level.

Both Ethiopians and Israelis: Veteran immigrants instruct new immigrants

Synopsis This article deals in women instructors ( somchot ), veteran immigrants from Ethiopia, who are employed as part of the absorption mechanism for immigrants from Ethiopia in Israel. They were instructed to teach domestic functions according to Israeli norms. However, when fulfilling these functions, the instructors also afford cultural interpretations and add their own messages. The article presents three foci in the instructors' work. One focus is on cleanliness and health. In compliance with the state's instructions they impart the Israeli model of domestic cleanliness and personal hygiene to the immigrants. A second focus is a message regarding partnership, which deviates from their role definition and views maintaining the intactness of the marriage among the immigrants as essential for the absorption process. The third focus is the attitude toward the immigrants' ethnic tradition. It is apparent that the women instructors, out of emotional identification, are in favor of the preservation of their culture. Culturally the instructor is Ethiopian on the one hand and Israeli on the other. Israeli society has entrusted her with the role of imparting the Israeli culture. However, she is at the same time an immigrant who lacks power herself. Nonetheless, these women instructors perceive themselves as representatives of the absorbing establishment and strive to resemble the Israeli reference group. The work of these instructors can be viewed as feminist activity of teaching the female immigrants ways in which they can identify tools which they need for coping with the gap between the traditional and the new norms.

Trial and Error: Electoral Reform through Bypass and its Repeal

‘The second republic’ is how Asher Arian defined Israel's government in the 1990s, referring to the ‘new issues, new constitutional rules, new leadership’ that emerged at the beginning of that era....

Prevalence and risk factors of threshold and sub-threshold psychiatric disorders in primary care

Prevalence rates of mental health problems in primary care vary according to population and the type of measure used. This study examined the prevalence of a full range of mental health problems, including sub-threshold diagnoses, and the socio-demographic risk factors for psychiatric disorders among a population with low out-of-pocket expenditures for medical care. Four validated mental health assessment instruments, including the CIDI-SF, were administered to a sample of 976 users of primary care in Israel between the ages of 25-75 in eight clinics throughout the country. Prevalence estimates were obtained for seven psychiatric diagnoses, two "other mental health disorders" (somatization and disordered eating) and five sub-threshold conditions. The most common types of morbidity were depression and disordered eating (20.6% and 15.0%, respectively), followed by somatization (11.8%) and general anxiety (11.2%). Among respondents, 31.1% had at least one psychiatric diagnosis, 24.3% had 'other mental disorders' and 15.5% had sub-threshold conditions. Panic attack, disordered eating and somatization, as well as a global measure of any psychiatric diagnosis were significantly more prevalent among women than men. Psychiatric diagnoses were also more common among those in the age group 45-64, with less education and insufficient income, the never married and separated/divorced and those not working. No significant differences were found between recent immigrants, veteran immigrants and Israeli-born, between Arab and Jewish Israelis or between secular or religious sectors of the population. This study establishes the prevalence of the most common disorders in primary care including PTSD, somatization and disordered eating behaviors. The additional of other mental disorders suggests that a more accurate picture of mental disorders in primary care requires an expanded assessment procedure.

Cultural correlates of eating attitudes: A comparison between native‐born and immigrant university students in Israel

This study explores the association between gender and exposure to Western culture and attitudes toward eating. Four hundred and ninety-nine university students participated in the study: 216 Israeli natives, 153 new immigrants (3 years or less since immigration) from the Former Soviet Union (FSU), and 130 veteran immigrants from FSU (4-15 years since immigration). Attitudes toward eating were measured using the Eating Attitude Test - EAT-26. Israeli born women had higher weight and body mass index (BMI) than did new immigrant women. Higher scores on the EAT-26 were found among women than among men. Among women only, native-born Israelis and veteran immigrants were more likely to have positive EAT-26 scores (19.6%, 18.8%) than were new immigrant women (7.9%), indicating disordered eating attitudes. Part of the differences in EAT-26 scores was explained by differences between the groups on age and BMI; however, even after adjustment the differences remained significant on the bulimia subscale. The results suggest a rapid cultural effect in attitudes toward eating that may reflect a tendency toward eating disorders as well as a difference in the proportion of obesity. It seems that the veteran immigrants have adopted Western cultural norms and eating patterns in a way that has erased the differences in tendency toward eating disorders between them and the Israeli born women.

Mediated Learning Activities Between Caregivers and Children Among New Immigrants and Veteran Families in Israel: An Experiment on Two “Home-Based” Tasks

The author presents a study of the systematic observation of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) among Ethiopian immigrants in Israel. The study was based on “semi-naturalistic” observation of two tasks–one experimental task with the new immigrants, another with veteran immigrants. The observation was conducted mainly on the basis of MLE parameters. The study illustrates the components of MLE that are most valuable and ones that are more emphasized than others as part of the overall cultural practice and its value system. Generally, Ethiopian parents infrequently use the mediation of transcendence infrequently and rarely provide mediation of competence and reward, especially in the explicit verbal form of a direct reward. More emphasis is placed on the accomplishment of actual acts with little room for making errors. The mediation of regulation of behavior is done with a more commanding and direct manner–sometimes scolding–with an authoritarian voice and body gestures. The overall picture of MLE among this immigrant population indicates that there is still a huge disparity between the mediational teaching style expressed as ideal in schools and the mediational styles that Ethiopian children are familiar with at home. This suggests a discontinuity between home and school that might inhibit a rapid adaptation to the school’s learning style for the children.

Immigrant Parents’ Educational Aspirations for their Children and the Required Family Support System: A Lack of Confluence

The aim of the present study was to explore the support system that immigrant parents from Ethiopia can provide to their children who experience difficulties in school. One hundred and thirty seven families from five Israeli cities were interviewed by a specially trained team of veteran immigrants from Ethiopia who received further education in Israel. The results of the study indicate that there is a dramatic gap between the parents’ aspirations for the education of their children and the amount of support that immigrant families can or are willing to provide. Recommendations are made regarding the necessary changes in the educational support system provided to new immigrant students.

From Russian to Hebrew via HebRush : Intergenerational Patterns of Language Use among Former Soviet Immigrants in Israel

The immigrant family is the principal domain where cultural and linguistic heritage can be preserved and transferred to the younger generation. This paper explores how the macro-level sociolinguistic processes in Israel – the increasing ethnic power of Russian speakers during the 1990s and the ensuing higher status of the Russian language – have shaped intra-familial linguistic patterns among former Soviet Jewish immigrants. My analysis is based on participant observation and in-depth interviews conducted with members of three-generational immigrant families who arrived in Israel during the 1990s and in the earlier wave of the 1970s. The study shows that bilingualism of the last-wave immigrants often manifests as a linguistic hybrid known as HebRush – a lingo that is used both in public and private realms. Conversely, among veteran immigrants of the 1970s the dismissed Russian has made a comeback into private family usage after years of oblivion, reflecting its recent upsurge as the main 'minority language' of Jewish Israel. The language choices of bilingual immigrants and the use of Russian between immigrant parents and children are shaped by their dominant sociolinguistic milieu, core cultural values, and the perceived status of this minority language in Israel. In conclusion, I offer some reflections on the interface between core cultural values, family roles and language maintenance among recent immigrants.

Physical and psychological well-being among immigrant referrals to colonoscopy

The association between immigration and well-being was studied in 2 groups of referrals to colonoscopy in the Negev region of Israel: Eastern Europe born ( n = 278) and Israeli born ( n = 70). The findings of this study suggest that the first 3 years after migration are associated with inferior physical and psychological well-being, and, to a lesser degree, with poorer family functioning and limited social interactions. The differences between immigrants and Israeli born tended to fade away as years went by, and the most veteran immigrants, those who immigrated more than 40 years prior to the study, scored best on most physical and psychological well-being indicators. Findings are discussed in terms of a life events approach and in terms of Israeli immigration regulations and absorption policy.