Locals detecting Hebrew accents on the sidewalks of cities from Palo Alto to Cupertino aren’t just hearing things. With ties between the Israeli and American high-tech industries closer than ever, more and more Israelis are relocating to the Bay Area, especially to the Silicon Valley.
Estimates for the Israeli expatriate population are as high as 50,000. They have settled all over, but the majority live in and around Sunnyvale, a city they have aptly nicknamed “The Kibbutz.”
And they keep coming. Many have transferred to the headquarters of American companies they worked for in Israel. Others are here to establish outposts of their own Israel-based startups. With their families in tow, relocating can be a shock even under the best of circumstances.
Our cover story this week examines the infrastructure in place to make new arrivals feel welcome and help them navigate the ropes. Ogen Relocation, a for-profit business run by Israelis for Israelis, teaches clients how to manage day-to-day American life. Banking, taxes, driving, enrolling kids in schools, finding a house — all fall under the company’s menu of services.
The Israeli Cultural Connection, a program of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, offers a different but complementary service, providing a home away from home for Israeli expats. It has turned the JCC into a hub for new arrivals and old-timers alike, providing afterschool care, Hebrew-language lectures and other social opportunities. Just show up at the annual Israel Independence Day celebration if you want to see the community in full force.
It cannot be easy to pack up and move more than 7,000 miles away from family and friends. That’s why our community extends a helping hand, fulfilling the commandment to welcome the stranger — even though that stranger happens to be mishpocha.
Most of this help comes in the form of Israeli to Israeli. That’s a natural fit. But it is imperative that the broader Bay Area Jewish community reach out to these new arrivals, as well.
It is a human tendency to want to stick with one’s cultural peers. It is also true that secular Israelis tend to shy away from membership in the kinds of Jewish organizations that provide many American Jews with ready-made social networks.
We must push back against that tendency and bring our Israeli families into the fold. The nature of our diverse Jewish community may seem unfamiliar to them, but in fact their mishpocha is bigger than they realize. It is up to us to push open the door and show them what’s inside.