
Preservation and development of scientific potential of repatriate scientists of the third academic degree, humanities 45+ age group
Rationale for the project
The Russian-speaking Aliyah plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of Israel. The great aliyah of the early 1990s continued with waves of repatriation from the former Soviet Union, mainly from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The high level of education of immigrants from the former Soviet Union provided Israel with doctors, engineers, scientists, including scientists in the humanities.
Among repatriates, almost one in five (19%) are between the ages of 45 and 56. However, most vocational integration programs are designed for people under 45 years of age. Academic repatriates aged 45+ in technical or other applied professions may be in demand to some extent in the Israeli labor market in the industrial or high-tech fields.
The age group of 45+ repatriate scientists with a third degree – representatives of the humanities (sociologists, political scientists, journalists, historians, linguists-culturalists, linguists, etc.) – those for whom language is the main tool of their profession – finds themselves in a more difficult situation. Above all, the language barrier has for many years prevented new repatriates in the humanities from being competitive in positions that involve a third degree. The age group of repatriate scientists 45+ in the humanities, requires tools for “quick” incorporation into the scientific process, given:
- the time limits set by the limits of retirement age;
- The absence of an appropriate professional environment can lead to a rapid loss of one’s academic qualifications within a few years, whereas one can hardly speak of a successful adaptation of a repatriate, especially linguistically, before three to five years of living in the country;
- poor knowledge of Hebrew among a significant part of the Russian-speaking Aliyah (only up to 55% of the repatriates believe they know Hebrew thoroughly, even among the Aliyah of the 1990s)
The inability to realize the professional potential of humanities scholars 45+, leads to:
- reducing the country’s attractiveness to highly qualified specialists in the humanities;
- loss of human capital (experience, knowledge, skills in dealing with complex humanitarian problems);
- The slowdown in the development of the socio-economic and socio-political spheres;
- to slow down the introduction of innovative forms of social engineering in a rapidly changing world;
- the deterioration of the socio-psychological state of the repatriates and their involvement in the processes of “desacralization of Israel,” which is gaining momentum among Russian-speaking repatriates.
Project Objective:
Improve the process of integration of Russian-speaking repatriates, humanities scholars 45+, by involving them in the activities of the International Think Tank at the NGO “Dor Moriah” through the development and implementation of socio-political and humanitarian projects.
Project Objectives:
- Training of new repatriates to prepare applications for scientific and applied research grants (conducting relevant trainings and information and methodological support);
- Donor search (assistance in working with donors, formulation of relevant topics for grants) and preparation of grant applications at the local, national and international levels, including in cooperation with academic institutions of the former Soviet Union (Russia, Ukraine) that are members of the International Think Tank;
- Assistance in forming project groups and information and methodological support in project implementation (support in project development and implementation – translation of texts, preparation of reports, organizational and financial issues, if necessary – organization of international cooperation);
- Support of scientific qualification by preparing publications in scientific journals;
- Expansion of professional communication networks (through conferences, meetings, etc.);
- Involvement in the activities of the International Analytical Center in research, preparation of analytical documents, in the implementation of scientific and applied projects.
[1] See: https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/day_of_aliya_2020.