(NYANA), which helps settle
the immigrants. The grapevine
is very strong."
Mr. Handelman estimates
that 150,000 Soviet Jews live
in one of New York's five bor-
oughs. Of that figure, he said,
80 percent live in Brooklyn or
Queens, with 65 percent in
Brooklyn. He believes there are
about 30,000 Soviet Jews liv-
ing in Brighton Beach.
For many of the immigrants,
Brighton Beach is a stepping
stone for their new lives as

Americans. As they become
more affluent and mobile, they
move to more middle-class ar-
eas in Queens, like Rego Park
and Forest Hills.
Still, Brighton Beach remains
the center of life for Soviet Jews
in New York. And they have
breathed life into the area. "It
was a dying neighborhood,"
Mr. Handelman said. "It's been
revived by the Russians.
They've driven up the price of
the real estate."

- Melinda Greenberg

103