Sometimes, the culture gap between new immigrants and veteran Israelis can prove dangerous, even deadly.
Just ask Jonathan Davis, an immigrant absorption official at the Jewish Agency.
During the many years he has dealt with olim and their adjustment problems, Davis noticed that few immigrants know what to do in potentially dangerous situations.
“If an oleh sees a suspicious object (that may be a bomb), he may not know what action to take. No one has ever taught him not to touch the object and to call the police,” he said.
“Or take house theft. Many immigrants don’t know how to secure their homes against burglars, and when there is a burglary, they don’t know how to explain what has been stolen,” he added.
Even running a red light can pose a problem, Davis said. “Often, when the police stop an immigrant, they don’t speak the same language. Sometimes, small incidents turn into big misunderstandings.”
In an attempt to prevent such misunderstandings, the Jewish Agency last year initiated a program that promotes interaction between immigrants, police officers and members of the country’s volunteer Civil Guard.
Launched in a number of communities with large immigrant populations, the program “is already reaping results,” Davis said.
“A year ago, we had hoped to sensitize police and Civil Guard volunteers to the special needs and customs of immigrants,” he recalled. “At the same time, we tried to recruit immigrants into the Civil Guard, to help them integrate into Israel society and to serve as a bridge between two cultures. I’d say we have met both goals.”
So far, some 350 native Israeli police officers have participated in seminars designed to familiarize them with cultural differences.
They learned, for example, that the Israeli method of diffusing a tense situation, whether it be a terrorist attack or a domestic conflict, could actually make matters worse when dealing with police-wary Russians, headstrong Americans or Israel’s many other immigrant groups.
Army and Border Police officers who took the seminar learned that if an Ethiopian suddenly disappears from active duty, it may be because of a sudden illness or death in the family.
“Ethiopians drop everything and return home when they hear about a crisis,” Davis said. “Most of the officers in the course were unfamiliar with this and many other traditions and were grateful for the new insights.”
The recruitment portion of the program has brought more than 200 immigrants into the 70,000-strong Civil Guard.
An integral part of Israeli law enforcement, the Civil Guard is a deterrent force as well as an important resource in times of trouble.
When two Islamic terrorists opened fire in a Jerusalem pedestrian mall on Oct. 9, for example, Civil Guard volunteers were the first law-enforcement personnel on the scene. Firing their M1 rifles, they slowed the terrorists down until the police and army arrived.
During a recent patrol with the Civil Guard in the town of Mevasseret Zion, a mountaintop community near Jerusalem, it soon became clear that the immigrant volunteers were getting as much from the program as they were giving.
The patrol, which on this drizzly night was composed of one police officer and a half-dozen volunteers, represented a veritable melting pot of immigrant society. Mevasseret has one of the country’s largest absorption centers.
Riding around the neighborhood in a police van, the team – composed of immigrants from France, Russia, Ethiopia and Yugoslavia – looked out for anything suspicious, such as an abandoned car or suitcase, prowlers and car thieves.
Though all seemed quiet a first, halfway through the evening the local police notified the patrol that residents of the absorption center had spotted a “suspicious person.”
Coming so soon after recent terror attacks on Israelis, the volunteers were especially alert. Their language skills came in handy when they needed to question the immigrant who put in the call.
A thorough search of the area turned up nothing, however, so they continued their patrol.
Miriam Katan, a 22-year-old immigrant from Yugoslavia, says she joined the Civil Guard almost as soon as she entered Israel.
“I thought it was important to defend my country,” she said, adding that the experience helped here decide upon a career path: She is about to join the police force.
For Avraham Rada, a 55-year-old Ethiopian who has been in Israel nine years, “the decision to joint the guard seemed natural,” he said. “I saw theft and crime in the community and I said, `I live here, too, and I need to help.’ I have two children in the army and I also want to contribute.”
“I thought (joining the Civil Guard) would help me meet Israelis and smooth my absorption,” said Miriam Shamla, 19, from France. “I’ve made a lot of friends this way.”
Yosef Shamla, a 47-year-old Frenchman and Miriam’s father, noted that “in addition to getting a great deal of satisfaction out of volunteering, I’m also able to help my neighbors in the absorption center. If there’s a conflict, or crisis, I’m the person people come to for help and advice.
“I know that they’re going through, and that helps,” he said.
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