Disappointing return
Photo: Gilad Kavalerchik
A tale of broken promises
Expatriates lured back to Israel by Absorption Ministry's campaign hit bureaucratic snags
Last year, the Immigrant Absorption Ministry launched a campaign aimed at luring back Israeli expatriates, later boasting of thousands of returning citizens and many more on their way back to the Holy Land. However, as it turns out, a professional retraining project promised by the government as part of the campaign has not materialized.
The reason for the fiasco is unsurprising perhaps: A struggle over funding pitting one government ministry against another. Absorption Ministry officials say the Treasury failed to hand over promised funds, while Finance Ministry officials claim that the Absorption Ministry is supposed to decide how to use its budget.
What is certain is that for the time being, returning Israelis who are struggling with the economic crisis are not getting the help they were promised.
The story of Meital, who about six years ago traveled to the United States to study, serves as a stark illustration.
"At one point, I realized that life over there is very comfortable, and that if I fail to return to Israel now, it will never happen," she told Ynet.
Meital was convinced to return also as result of tempting pledges, but after returning to Israel she realized that government promises are not always kept.
The returning citizen did not expect to face difficulties in finding a job, yet the global economic crisis caught her off guard. After failing to find work, she approached the Absorption Ministry with a request to take advantage of a retraining program promised to her as part of her benefit package.
However, Meital was soon told that the Ministry no longer has the budget to offer such courses, and that she will be placed on the waitlist.
"I was told that the Treasury is supposed to hand over the funds, and for the time being there are many people like me who are waiting," she said. "I knew I could expect difficulties here, yet this was a great disappointment. I returned to a reality that I'm familiar with unfortunately, and I hoped it would change, but it didn't happen."
"In the US, promises are not made easily, but if pledges are made, they're kept," she said. "In Israel promises are made, but the words aren't backed by anything."
The Treasury issued the following statement: "The ministry in charge of professional training for returning citizens is the Immigrant Absorption Ministry. The ministry is familiar with the budget at its disposal, and it can earmark this budget in line with its priorities."
