56 Friday, Mardi 24, 1978

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Federation Units Await Immigrant Influx

Russian Jewish immig-
rants have been coming to
Detroit in 1978 in greater
numbers than ever before.
Detroit's Resettlement
Service, a member agency
of the Jewish Welfare Fed-
eration supported by the Al-
lied Jewish Campaign-
Israel Emergency Fund, ex-
pects to deal with one and a
half times the number of
Soviet immigrants it aided
last year.
The Detroit agency's
experience is being felt
by similar agencies in
Jewish communities
throughout the country.
HIAS (Hebrew Immig-
rant Aid Society), the
umbrella agency for re-
settling refugees, antici-
pates assisting 10,000
Soviet immigrants in
1978, compared to 7,300
' in 1977, of whom over
6,000 were settled in the
U.S.

"So far this year we've as-
sisted 23 families with 60
persons," said Resettlement
Service's casework super-
visor Ruth Getz. "Last year
we were averaging about'
five new families a month."
The heavy influx has
made housing difficult. -
"When a family arrives
we like to have ready a
dwelling, furnished, a first
day's food in the re-
frigerator, and a check for
immediate living ex-
penses," Mrs. Getz said.
"There's a shortage of the
less expensive apartments
in the area in the best of
times, and with this winter
weather and inflation
people don't seem to have
been moving as much, so
that there have been fewer
vacancies."
Resettlement Service
tries to settle most of the
the immigrants in a
Jewish community "and

A number of events preceeded this week's opening
of the 1978 Allied Jewish Campaign. Shown in the top
photograph, at the Food and Services Division
cocktail reception, are Paula Borenstein of the Joint
Distribution Committee, and from left, Irving Laker,
Thomas I. Klein, Peter B. Copeland and Max Swan. In
the second photograph, Drs. Howard A. Parven and
Steven Glickman are shown at the Podiatrists Section
breakfast. In the third photograph, at the Pharma-
cists and Pharmaceutical Suppliers Section dinner,
are, from left, Jerome Soble, guest speaker Daniel
Bloch and Donald Fox. In the fourth photograph, at
the Attorneys Section luncheon, are Lawrence tac-
kier, Robert IL Naftaly, Paul D. Borman, Bloch, Barry
Yaker and Milton Lucow. In the bottom photograph,
in the last of a series of Campaign parlor meetings,
are, center, guest speaker B.Z. Sobel with hosts Mr.
and Mrs. Maxwell Jospey.

they integrate well into
Oak Park," Mrs. Getz
said.
"There's also a colony of
adult Russians in the Eight
Mile-Lahser area, and sev-
eral families with children
in Madison Heights near
the Oakland Mall. It's dif-
ficult to open up a new area
even if one would be availa-
ble because we don't want to
isolate the first families
who would go there. They
are bused to English clas-
ses at the main Jewish
Community Center every
day, so we have to consider
the bus routes when we look
for apartments. It would be
too long a trip to have to go,
say, from Madison Heights
to Livonia. A second and
costly bus route would be
needed — an expense we
want to avoid.
"The immigrants begin
English classes as soon as
they move in," Mrs. Getz
said. "When we have no
housing and have to tem-
porarily use motels, as we
have had to for the first time
this year, the resettlement
process is hindered. The
motels are not on the bus
route and house-hunting is
the priority, so learning
English is delayed."
The newcomers attend
the classes until they
learn enough English for
a job, after which they
can continue studying, as
many do, in night classes.
The Jewish Vocational
Service, another Federa-
tion agency, helps in the
job hunt most of the re-
fugees have jobs within
three to six months. _
"Locally, there has re-
cently been quite a demand
for tool and die workers and
those with engineering
skills which a number of the
Russians have," Mrs. Getz
said. "Two or three firms
where we've placed Russian
immigrants have called and
told us they'd be willing to
have further referrals."
School-age children are
placed immediately in
neighborhood public
schools. They usually go
into regular classrooms
with other children their
age, although the South-
field school system has a
special English tutor avail-
able to provide extra help.
Some parents have enrolled
their children in one of the
Jewish day schools.
Once a Russian family is
admitted to the United
_States, HIAS decides where
they might be settled and
then approaches that com-
munity to accept them.
"They choose the
community that they feel
can absorb the family
best or where their skills
can be used," Mrs. Gets

said. But the primary
thing is family reunion.
We try very hard to keep
immediate family mem-
bers — children, parents,
brothers and sisters — in
the same community.
Where possible, cousins,
aunts and uncles are also
settled where their rela-
tives are, depending on
the status of our com-
munity quotas and re-
sources, including hous-
li
ing."
English language classes at the Jewish Community
Center
are
an important part of the acculturation
Now that their numerous
close relatives are coming, process for Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union.
* * *
the Resettlement Service is
asking immigrants who pen during the rest of the rents mean that the re-
have been here awhile to year," Mrs. Getz said. "It fugees will need a longer
help settle the new arrivals. may continue this way, or period of support by the
Sometimes those who have it may slow down. There agency until the wage ear-
good incomes can provide are a lot of factors in-
ners have sufficient income
some financial support. volved; the rate at which to pay for rent, food;
More often they are asked to immigrants arrive -here utilities, transportation and
help the newcomers by find- really depends on the
other expenses.
ing housing, helping with rate at which they're pro-
They tend to begin
orientation to the commun- cessed by the State De- employment at lower start-
ity and finding jobs. "On partment officials in
ing salaries because it is
the whole, they've re-
Rome, and on quota their first job in a new coun-
sponded very well to our call numbers available."
try and it is difficult for
for cooperation," Mrs. Getz
Samuel Lerner, executive them to become financially
said.
independent if their rent
director of Resettlement
The Jewish Welfare Fed- Service, made a special plea and other living costs are
eration member agencies — for the cooperation of high. A particular need
including Jewish Family Jewish landlords in making exists for apartments that
Service, Fresh Air Society, low-rental apartments av-
will rent to families with
United Hebrew Schools and
ailable to the refugees. He children, since many of the
Shiffman Clinic of Sinai noted that this is the families come with one or
Hospital — have rallied to greatest problem the two children.
help the newcomers.
Dr. Max Winslow, presi-
agency faces — the diffi-
One problem facing the culty in finding two-and dent of Resettlement Ser-
agency is that the number of three-bedroom apartments vice, asks that those land-
immigrants who will arrive in the $225-250 rental lords who may have vacant
in any given week or month range, in areas close to the apartments contact the
is impossible to predict.
Jewish community and ac- agency. The staff will work
out the details of renting the
"Although we've had a cessible to transportation.
The agency will pay apartment. The Resettle-
great number of families
coming since Jan. 1, we slightly higher rentals, if ment Service can be called
necessary, but the higher at 559-1500.
can't tell what will hap-

Students in Campaign Effort

Metropolitan Detroit
Jewish students are plan-
ning a campus fund-raising
effort on behalf of the Allied
Jewish Campaign-Israel
Emergency Fund.
Larry Kritzer and Burt
Kideclrel, members of the
Wayne State University
Hillel Foundation, are
chairing the campus cam-
paign, which will involve
students at Oakland Com-
munity College and Oak-
land University as well as
Wayne State.
The campus campaign, in
conjunction with Hillel at
Wayne, is sponsoring sev-
eral speakers during March
and April. Dan Shueftan, of
the Shiloakh Institute in Is-
rael, spoke to the students
March 13. A series of lec-
tures on the Jewish com-
munity of Detroit will fea-
ture former Detroit City
Council President Carl
Levin April 11, Wayne
State sociology professor
Stanley Kupinsky April 19,
and George M. Zeltzer, vice
president of the Jewish Wel-
fare Federation and chair-
man of the Large City
Budgeting Conference,
April 25.

April 3-7. Fifty percent of
the proceeds from a book
sale April 9-10 will go to
the Campaign.
The students' main effort
will be telephone solicita-
tion of 1,200 Jewish stu-
dents at the three cam-
puses. The telethon will
begin April 16 and will con-
tinue through May.
Assisting with the Cam-
paign are Pam Cutler,

Cathy Dicker, Robin
Friedman, Shelly Fried-
man, Sue Gallup, Alan Gor-
don, Sam Graybar, Alan
Hurvitz, Ed Hurvitz, Ruth
Indenbaum, Robert Kim-
mel, Yocheved Klein, Laura
Lazarus, David Rosen and
Mark Sugarman. Adviser is
Michelle Goldman. Hillel
director is Rabbi Howard
Addison, and assistant di-
rector, Marcia Wagner.

Education Group Meets

Participating in the first meeting, March 12, of the
new Jewish Welfare Federation Education Study
Committee are, from left, Federation President Mar-
The students are pre- tin E. Citrin, Federation Vice President and commit-
paring materials about - tee chairman George M. Zeltzer, Dr. Sara Feinstein, a
the Campaign which will Jewish educator from Chicago who is serving as con-
be displayed in the sultant to the group, and Samuel Cohen, Federation's
Wayne student center associate executive director.