Triguboff Institute marks three years of partnership in supporting the relocation of young professionals from Russia to Israel
64 young Russian-speaking, men and women in their twenties and thirties have participated in the Aliyah Preparatory Track for professionals in the fields of technology, computers, and marketing, in advance of their entry into Israel’s high-tech industries.
Graduating former Russian youth
At this ceremony, Yoav Ben Tzuria, a member of the Masa management program, and Shalom Norman of the Triguboff Institute awarded the Israeli identity cards to the graduates who became citizens of Israel.
Shalom Norman told J-Wire: “This event held at the Ayanot Youth Village, ttracted a surprising amount of press coverage for the current days in which the newspapers are almost exclusively devoted to the fragile ceasefire, the return to their homes of the Gaza Envelope residents and the evacuees of the Lebanon border, domestic political battles., and the public campaign for the return of the hostages.”
This group of graduates participated in one of the several tracks of the September 2024 Masa program for Russian speakers, which has a total of 380 participants. In the professional track, program participants, who are college graduates, are assigned to specific groups based on their professional background, located in various sites across Israel. In the program participants devote many hours to Hebrew language studies, professional training, and internships in the industry/R&D according to their profession and background. In the past three years, 95% of the graduates of the Masa programs for Russian speakers have chosen to remain in Israel as New Olim.
Another unique professional track prepares medical doctors from Russia for certification to practice medicine in Israel.
Most young doctors train at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, with a smaller group training in Beer Sheva at Soroka Hospital.
Over 90% of the physicians participating in these programs pass the exams and join the medical profession in Israel.
In the past three years, 347 Russian-speaking physicians through Masa programs have immigrated to Israel, and 90% have found employment in their profession and settled in Israel. “It’s difficult to describe the medical system in Israel without the unique contribution of New Olim from the former Soviet Union,” said Shalom Norman. “Medical training in Israel’s academic system is unable to meet the needs of Israel’s growing population, and the shortage of medical professionals is especially evident outside the center of the country, and especially after October 7,” Norman added. Israel’s Council of Higher Education recently decided to open two new academic training programs in medicine at Herzliya Reichman University and Haifa University.
On Thursday, 3 April, a new group of over 60 young Medical Doctors who graduated from the finest Russian universities in Russia started its preparatory six-month course as part of Masa. Following an introductory series of lectures, Meir Holtz, MASA CEO and Shalom Norman, both stressed the essential role the six-month “Masa“ program fulfils in the relocation and absorption of high-level professionals from Russia into Israel.
For the past three years, the Triguboff Institute has been an active partner with JAFI in the development of the central part of the Masa program known as Masa ID – a study program related to Jewish identity, the heritage of East European Jewry, and Jewish life in Israel. A recent professional assessment of the program noted, “The structured program of site visits, studies, and lectures complements the professional training program and constitutes the core of this program, which connects program participants to Israel and Israeli society”.
In contrast to the past, the standard of professional training and English-language skills of the vast majority of participants from Russian-speaking countries is on par with the accepted standards of major academic schools in the west. Additional professional tracks in the Masa program include a culinary track in conjunction with Ben Gurion University, a hotel track in conjunction with hotels in Eilat, and a new track for musicians in conjunction with the Israeli Chamber Orchestra is also planned.
The Triguboff Institute is funded by Sydney developer Harry Triguboff.
