NORTHGATE
What's it like to live in Detroit's
largest enclave of Soviet Jews?
T
here's a unique is-
land of calm in the
middle of Oak Park
where new Americans come
- to rest while they figure out
how to plot the rest of their
lives.
It's where Irina and
Dmitri Zager, formerly of
Byelorussia, learned to
drive cars, swap American
recipes, find out about job
openings, pick out the right
school clothes for their
children, shop for the best
bargains.
It's where former Ukrai-
>
nians like Galina and Boris
Mikhaylovskay receive
phone calls the instant
Soviet Jewish friends land
in America or Israel, or
where their son, Serge, 28,
can find information on the
latest concert given by
local emigre musicians.
The place is Northgate
> Apartments.
Maybe you've passed it.
You can see its huge, red
) vacancy sign every day on
your way down Greenfield
or Lincoln roads.
The complex is home to
several hundred Soviet
immigrants, some new,
some old. Beyond those
black iron gates the
majority of this city's
Soviet immigrants regroup
after long days of raised
eyebrows and scratching
heads, puzzling over the
mumbo-jumbo procedures
at the Jewish agencies, the
supermarket checkout
lines, the bank.
Built in 1964, Northgate
is still one of Oak Park's
first stops for singles,
couples, or small families
looking for affordable hous-
ing. But because of its
proximity to the Jewish
Federation Apartments,
Jewish Family Service and
the Jimmy Prentis Morris
Jewish Community
Center, the complex also
has become the area's
foremost stop for Russian
Jews.
With 760 units in 92
buildings, Northgate is one
of the largest apartment
complexes in Oak Park and
the most widely associated
with housing Soviet Jews.
It's even been called the
"16th Soviet Republic,"
though those who made up
the name meant it to be
disparaging.
(
By Amy J. Mehler
Photos by Glenn Triest
"We think it's a good
beginning," said Jewish
Family Service social
worker Lorraine Lerner.
"Most of them don't know
the language, and the rents
are relatively affordable,
plus they have the Berkley
school system. This is an
opportunity for them to
take it all in and decide
how to proceed."
For Soviet immigrants in
Oak Park, Northgate is the
hub of activity, the
ultimate grapevine, with
branches' everywhere.
There, they access a wide
network of information
that buzzes daily with tips
on shopping, community
activities, jobs, entertain-
ment and transportation.
"Northgate is where we
go to talk among ourselves,
to cry on each other's
shoulders, to take a break
from the endless meetings
with case workers, social
workers, Resettlement
workers," said Mrs. Zager,
formerly a French teacher
in Russia.
"Where else could some-
one get his car fixed in time
to make a job interview in
Troy?" she added. "What
better place to go if you
need a strong cup of
Turkish coffee, or an ins-
tant wedding dress, hair-
dresser, or manicurist?
Pick up the phone; some-
one will be there to help
you."
The part about the wed-
ding dress is true. Mrs.
Zager and her husband
were remarried, according
to Jewish law, last year at
Temple Beth El. The morn-
ing of her wedding,
countless people showed up
at the bride's third-floor
apartment.
"I mean, people I didn't
know," Mrs. Zager said.
One woman brought five
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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