Trends in the Integration of Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union into Israeli Society over the Past Three Decades: A Follow-Up Study

Background

From the early 1990s to today, more than a million of the 1.5 million Jews living in the former Soviet Union in 1989 immigrated to Israel.[1] These immigrants were relatively young and well-educated, but encountered difficulties in integrating because many did not know Hebrew and English, and many, particularly during the early years, arrived in Israel with no economic resources. Naturally, they also lacked social connections in Israel. The situation in Israel during the period in which they immigrated also posed difficulties: government policy limiting the expansion of the public sector forced many of the more educated immigrants to work in professions not suited to their education and the rise in housing prices made it very difficult for them to buy an apartment. To these difficulties were added the problems of integrating immigrant children into the education system, health and welfare problems (particularly of older adults), the problems of immigrants not considered Jews according to religious law, and more.

The present study aims to present a multidimensional picture of the immigrants’ integration over time (from the early 1990s to recent years) by addressing demographic aspects, the acquisition of skills essential for integration in Israeli society, education, employment, socio-economic status, physical and mental health, and satisfaction with life in Israel. This is a follow-up to a study conducted in 2015.[2]

Objective

Analyze the changes in the immigrants’ situation from the 1990s to the present and the factors effecting these changes.

Method

The study population was the immigrants from the former Soviet Union who arrived in Israel since the beginning of 1990 (hereinafter, immigrants). For some of the issues analyzed, the study population also included children born in Israel to parents who had immigrated from 1990 on (hereinafter, second-generation immigrants).

The study relied on a wide range of information sources: data from the 1989 Soviet census on the Jewish population in the former Soviet Union and its sociodemographic characteristics; annual data of the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (ICBS) and of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration on the number of immigrants from the former Soviet Union during that year and their sociodemographic characteristics; data from the ICBS Labor Force Survey in 1991-2022; censuses held in Israel in 1995 and 2008; data from the ICBS Social Survey in 2002-2022; data from the ICBS Israel Household Expenditure Survey and Income Survey in 1992-2022; data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), 2015; data from the immigrant employment study conducted by the Brookdale Institute in 1995; student, school and matriculation files of the Ministry of Education, 1992-2019; ICBS and Council for Higher Education data on college and university students, 2005-2021; statistical reports of the Israel Student Authority, 1993/4-2018/19; data on Jews who immigrated to the US from the former Soviet Union from the following sources: HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) data for 1990-2005; National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) in 2000-1; the 2010/11 New York and Chicago Jewish Community surveys (Berman Jewish Databank, 2010, 2011); a 2013 Pew Institute survey of American Jews; data on Jews who have immigrated from the former Soviet Union to Germany, including official data of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees; findings of a survey conducted by Russian-language German newspaper Partner in 2005-6; and research findings.

Findings

The study generated several positive findings:

  • The great majority of immigrants are satisfied with life in Israel.
  • The immigrants’ Hebrew proficiency and computer literacy have improved, particularly among the younger generation.
  • The proportion of immigrants aged 20-34 who have served in the IDF is similar to the respective proportion among all “Jews and others” [3] in the same age range.
  • The percentage of immigrants entitled to a matriculation certificate increased in 2010-2019, becoming similar to the average in the Hebrew language education system. Among second-generation immigrants the percentage entitled to a matriculation certificate exceeded the average in the Hebrew language education system.
  • The years 1991-2010 saw an increase in the number of immigrant higher education students, followed by a decrease. Nevertheless, in 2015-2022 there was an increase in the number of second-generation immigrant students, even though most of them were no longer entitled to the support of the Israel Student Authority.
  • The immigrants’ occupational-professional status improved gradually, and by 2022, more than 70% of immigrants with higher education were employed in a job suited to their education.
  • The longer they lived in Israel, the more the immigrants’ standard of living approached that of all “Jews and others”.

Nevertheless, there remain considerable problems in the integration of immigrants from the former Soviet Union:

  • Many immigrants (particularly middle-aged and older adults) lack proficiency in Hebrew and English.
  • The school dropout rates among immigrants are higher than among students in the Hebrew language education system.
  • Many immigrants (particularly newer immigrants and those approaching retirement age) are not employed in their profession.
  • A significant portion of the immigrants experience economic difficulties, based on both objective and subjective indicators.
  • About half of the immigrants do not have permanent housing (defined as an apartment owned by them or a long-term public rental), but this figure drops the longer they have been in Israel.
  • The health status of immigrants (particularly older immigrants) is not as good as that of all “Jews and others”.

The study findings were presented to officials in the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs. The extensive scope of the findings can provide the infrastructure for understanding the difficulties faced by immigrants and for improving policy in this area.

[1] Not all were registered in the former Soviet Union as Jews.

[2] Konstantinov, V. (2015). Patterns of integration into Israeli Society among immigrants from the former Soviet Union over the past two decades. RR-674-15. Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. (Hebrew) https://brookdale.jdc.org.il/publication/patterns-integration-israeli-society-among-immigrants-former-soviet-union-past-two-decades/

[3] According to the ICBS definition, “Jews and others” include Jews, Non-Arab Christians and people not classified by religion.

Citing suggestion: Konstantinov, V. (2024). Trends in the Integration of Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union into Israeli Society over the Past Three Decades: A Follow-Up Study. RR-005-24. Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. (Hebrew)