• ,.

-11.01001mApeirsiormemilidirmloripm

there are many other things
in the world they can see and
enjoy!'
"We came [to the U.S.] to
change, so why put ourselves
in a ghetto?" another Russian
points out.
Like the general Jewish
community, the Russians, too,
are spreading out
geographically, making their
community less insulated and
more open to outside in-
fluences. Most Russians
begin their stay in Detroit
within proximity of the
Jewish- Family Service and
the Jewish Center's Ten Mile
branch. As they become more
affluent, the Russians begin
to move to the outlying
suburbs.
Valk, who lives with his
wife, Emily, and 6-year-old
son, David, in a lakeside

"In the USSR
these Jews were
liberals, radicals.
Here, they're arch-
conservatives."

house in West Bloomfield,
says he arrived in America
with "50 bucks in my pocket."
He entered the job market
with a degree in electrical
engineering, but only a
grasp of
fragmentary
English. After 30 days in
Detroit and two attempts,
Valk found work as an electri-
cian with New York Carpet
World. The firm hired "hun-
dreds" of Russian immigrants
during the years of mass im-
migration, according to Mar-
vin Berlin of New York
Carpet World. He calls the ar-
rangement, which provided
raw immigrants with im-
mediate employment and the
company with intelligent,
highly motivated workers,
"mutually beneficial!"
The Valks tried to wrap up
their affairs neatly before
their emigration in 1978. "I
quit my job six months before
I applied," he says. It took
another six months to get ap-
proval. Despite their precau-
tions "my dad was fired from
his job when I- left?'
Although many, like the
Valks, emigrated with
relative ease during the late
`70s, the family's experience
was not without its singular
characteristics. "A couple of
months after we applied, we
got a call saying we'd better
leave a certain amount of
money in a certain place if we
wanted to get out."
Did the Valks pay the bribe
to the anonymous caller? Yes,
he answers without a tinge of
regret or embarassment.
"You don't take chances. You
don't ask questions!"

Lack of communal iden-
tification among the Russians
extends to their reticence to
affiliate with the local Jewish
community, including charity
organizations. Some of the
more active Russians decry
their peers' non-participation
in the community. "It comes
as a regret to me," says one. "I
feel we have to be thankful for
the effort that American-Jews
and American government
have given us for a,new oppor-
tunity."
According to Lydia Kuniav-
sky, the Russians do not give
to charities because "the
tradition of giving is absolute-
ly foreign to Russia."
Others, including Valk, see
growing community par-
ticipation and tzedakah-
giving as the Russians in-
tegrate into American life.
"The more established a per-
son gets, the more he will get
involved in community activi-
ty."
Irina Kovalsky agrees. The
immigrants are "trying to
find themselves in the begin-
ning. For three or five years
people don't belong to
themselves. They are surviv-
ing. I think now people are
much more involved!'
Vladislav Kovalsky admits
that the Russians have some
serious cultural barriers to
hurdle. "We were always
taught that we were part of
the community in Russia.
And do you see what came
from that participation?
Nothing good?'
Adds Irina: "An American
Jew has to understand that it
is a very hard adjustment for
people!'
"They definitely identify as
Jews;' says Kuniaysky, "but
they don't know where to
begin with the Jewish com-
munity." She adds that
Americans may have ex-
pected too much too soon from
the Russians. "The communi-
ty expected that they would
immediately join congrega-
tions. But Jewish life in
Russia was killed long ago!'
Contrary to popular opi-
nion, Russians do not shun
the synagogue. Although, as
Kuniaysky explains, the no-
tion of Orthodox, Conser-
vative and Reform is com-
pletely alien to them, many
attend High Holiday services.
Twice-yearly synagogue at-
tendance is hardly unusual
for American Jews.
While not relating to
Judaism in any religious
sense, their Jewish con-
sciousness is strengthened by
the Jewish activity they see
around them, according to
Kuniaysky. "When they see a
Jewish newspaper, the
amount of synagogues in the
area, it makes them full of joy

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

25