- Israel

Project Tochelet Teaches Zilya to Dream Again

When Zilya arrived in Israel several years ago, she was hopeful at the prospect of starting a new life. Her native Russia, though free of communist rule since she was a young girl, had fallen into deep economic despair and she was excited at the chance for success in her new homeland.

But since her arrival in Israel, life has been anything but prosperous for Zilya. "I came to Israel full of hope but I've been cleaning houses since shortly after I arrived," she explains. "I always dreamed I would go on to college and pursue a career that challenged me. I never imagined I would spend my days cleaning houses just to get by."

Though Zilya graduated at the top of her Russian high school class, she has not been able to pursue higher learning and follow her dreams in Israel because of the daily struggle to survive. Having made aliyah alone, she has little in the way of a support network and no family to fall back on. She works six days a week just to pay her monthly rent and buy food, putting aside next-to-nothing in savings.

Because her days are spent on menial jobs, Zilya has no time to take college courses. Even if she was accepted to an Israeli university — an improbability considering her lack of familiarity with the Hebrew language and the Israeli educational system — she would not be able to afford the tuition without significant financial aid.

Until fairly recently, there was little Zilya could do to address her problem. In fact, many younger immigrants have spent their years since arriving in Israel trapped in low wage, under-stimulating jobs from which there is no chance for advancement.

Then in 2004, JDC introduced a new initiative — Project Tochelet — to help immigrants just like Zilya. The project was launched through JDC's Massad Klita partnership with four government ministries — Education, Absorption, Welfare and Housing — whose mission is to plan, coordinate and implement services to ensure the long term integration of immigrants.

Tochelet targets younger immigrants by providing them with the basic job skills and cultural knowledge to overcome the barriers which prevent them from obtaining higher education, and ultimately, to lead them to gainful employment in a career of their choosing.

Now operating in four Israeli cities — Rehovot, Beersheva, Jerusalem, and Nazareth Illit — Project Tochelet goes beyond providing free vocational training and includes a full basket of services, such as a multi-faceted acculturation program which includes assistance in Hebrew, workshops designed to familiarize immigrant youth with Israeli society, courses on basic business skills, work preparation, and eventually, vocational placement.

The program has grown considerably over the past two years and now has more than 120 participants. Open to immigrants below the age of 30 who have earned a high school degree, either in Israel or in their country of origin, Tochelet also offers participants a social network which ensures that they see the program through to its end, providing emotional support when difficulties arise. And by holding classes at nights and on Fridays, students can remain employed while earning the chance to advance within Israeli society.

For Zilya, the program has been nothing short of a dream come true. A member of Tochelet's first class, she is nearing the completion of the second year of her three-year commitment. She is currently studying design with a special focus on multi-media applications in her chosen field. "Project Tochelet has opened a whole new realm of possibilities for me," she explains. "I fully enjoy all of my classes, have made new friends, and am especially grateful for the personalized attention I receive."

Zilya is thrilled to finally be filled with a sense of hope for her future, after years of hardship. "I was starting to question if I had made the right decision in coming to Israel," Zilya explains. "Now I know I did."

June 2006