1998 – Sharing Israel’s knowledge and experience of immigrant integration

In light of Israel’s experience of integrating the large waves of immigration from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, between 1990 and 2000, CIMI and MASHAV (Israel’s national assistance agency at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) began disseminating information about the country’s methods of integration to the rest of the world. Initially, this was done through seminars, in-service training, and professional courses on immigration and immigrant absorption. The activities combined theoretical and practical studies, with a focus on several relevant projects in Israel. Professionals with the appropriate background came to Israel from various countries to study the subject at first hand. Furthermore, CIMI organized international seminars in Germany with ZWST (the social welfare arm of the German Jewish Community) and the German Red Cross, mainly on integration into employment and the experience of integration at the urban level. One such example was a seminar comparing the experiences of immigrant - integration in Frankfurt and Tel Aviv. It should be noted that the late Aharon Amit, then deputy director of the Ministry of Absorption, played an important and very effective part in the project.