Paper short abstract:

This paper traces the evolution of Russian presence in Haifa, Israel and discusses FSU immigrants' strategies in interactions with other ethnic groups. We explore how newcomers establish symbolic ties with the city through the institutions they have created to meet their cultural needs.

Paper long abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to trace the evolution of Russian presence in Haifa—Israel's third largest city. An industrial center and a seat of multinational hi-tech companies, Haifa met aspirations of upwardly mobile FSU immigrants of the 1990s for professional reintegration. In addition, it attracted primarily secular Russian Jews by its liberal policies toward non-observant residents. Finally, since most Russian Jews came from industrial centers they expected that Haifa would offer a variety of leisure activities and entertainment. Reality destroyed many of these hopes making newcomers feel marginalized and thrown to the bottom of the social ladder.

Based on participant observation, auto-ethnography and analysis of web sites, this paper discusses strategies chosen by FSU immigrants in domesticating Haifa and creating institutions that meet their everyday needs and cultural habits. We will analyze what stimulates and what hinders immigrants' interactions with members of different ethnic communities in Haifa, the city which remains socially and ethnically segregated despite its reputation of a haven for multiculturalism. Finally, we will look into the emergence and evolution of symbolic ties with the city demonstrated by Russian-speaking residents of Haifa. Whether it is memories of terrorist attacks, or tender nicknames given to various neighborhoods, exchange of graffiti comments on the walls or a heated internet discussion about the sites to be shown to visitors, the narrative of Russian Haifa is diverse and reveals that Russian-speaking residents are not only interested in the better quality of life in Haifa but also in uplifting its image.