Shishi Shabbat Israeli solidifies post-Soviet countries immigrants ties to Jewish state

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 82,700 Israelis left the country in 2024. A negative balance of 18,200 if we calculate the difference between immigrations and departures.  

The war launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and the high cost of living in Israel would be the main factors in these departures. It is in light of this observation that i24NEWS met, coincidence of the calendar or not, young adult immigrants from countries of the former Soviet Union supported by the Israeli association Shishi Shabbat Israeli, literal translation: Israeli Friday-Saturday. The idea? To introduce them to other aspects of Israeli society through a shared Sabbath, one of the most traditional moments of Jewish culture. 

We met them in a hostel in Massada, near the Dead Sea. They are all between 20 and 35 years old. Alina emigrated to Israel in 2017 from Saint Petersburg in Russia. "Israel is my home. My only home today," she explained. Asked whether she would have thought of returning to Russia after October 7, 2023, her answer is categorical. "It was important for me to be here. I live in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv. I experience the same alerts and emotions as all Israelis. You know, in the event of missile or drone alerts, new immigrants and (native) Israelis feel the same threats. That's why I feel at home here."  

She says she is disappointed to see that many have returned abroad. "But I don't have children, so I can't put myself in those people's shoes. I just hope it's a temporary decision." She experiences this attachment to Israel through these seminars. "I need to know Israel, its history, its places, as if I knew how to walk, an organizer of Shishi Shabbat Israeli once told me. So I apply it. The proof: We're going to climb the steps to Massada" Alina explained to us.

For her, being Israeli means showing nerve - Hutzpa in Hebrew – and giving mutual aid. At her side, we found Artium. His history with Israel is almost linked to the conflicts. He emigrated to Israel in 2015 from Siberia. 

"I feel much more Israeli than Russian. Whether before or since October 7," he said. "In 2021, at the time of Operation Guardians of the Wall, I was abroad. I wanted to return to Israel quickly to feel Israeli. I came back from Brazil on the night of October 6-7, 2023. I was happy to be there to feel exactly the same emotions as everyone else." 

Artium said he needs these meetings. "These Shishi Shabbat Israeli seminars allow me to get to know the place where I live better. I am fond of history. And I cannot feel Israeli if I do not know its history," he explained. 

This is exactly the message that Linda, one of the organizers, is trying to convey. A unique story. Originally from the United States, she learned Russian as a student in the 1980s. "Being able to welcome people into your home is a blessing given to us by God, it is as important as all the good deeds that our sages have commanded us to do," she explained to the young people in perfect Russian. 

The opportunity to remember André, a volunteer from the Shishi Shabbat Israeli association, assassinated by Hamas terrorists at the Nova festival. "Shabbat is an opportunity to meet up with friends, guests, to rediscover a family atmosphere, to connect and contribute to the good of all," she explains to the young participants. 

It is not for nothing that she spoke to them to the tune of Arik Einstein's song "Ani veAta" – "you and me, together, we will change the world."

The Shishi Shabbat Israeli association was founded about fifteen years ago. Today, it has offices in several cities in Israel. For young people and also families. 

"We believe that if a person knows their history better, learns from their history, then they will tend to become loyal to this history, and therefore feel better in Israel," said Ylia, one of the members of the team of this Shabbat at the Dead Sea.  

For him, "99 percent of the young people who are here are between 18 and 35, they decided to emigrate alone." The way to keep them in Israel and familiarize them with Israeli life, as complex as it is in times of war, is precisely to create a link through these seminars. A way to answer our question of whether these young people are not tempted to go abroad again since October 7.

He told us that the priority of Shishi Shabbat Israeli is not a dating site for singles. That being said, the association will soon celebrate the 14th birthday of a child who was born from a meeting around these seminars, a way of confirming that attachment can be immediate. "I was an engineer in Russia when the war with Ukraine broke out," Boris, a new immigrant in Israel for two years, told us. "I feel safer here!" he said. Personal and collective security, attachment to Israel and an umbilical link with Jewish history. These are the objectives of this association.