Former Soviet Union

New immigrant pharmacists face discrimination, lack of gov't support despite professional shortage

Mazarsky's comments follow the state's reluctance to accept over 170 qualified pharmacists who are intending to make aliyah in the coming year and have opened files with the Jewish Agency.

 Illustration photo of Super Pharm drug store and pharmacy at the Hadar mall in Jerusalem, on April 30, 2018.
An Afghan Taliban fighter sit next to an anti-aircraft gun near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, following exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces in Afghanistan, October 15, 2025.

Afghanistan marks Soviet withdrawal anniversary as Taliban rule draws global scrutiny

 New immigrants from USA and Canada arrive on a special " Aliyah Flight 2016" on behalf of Nefesh B'Nefesh organization, at Ben Gurion airport in central Israel on August 17, 2016,

Israel’s conversion crisis is becoming an aliyah crisis - opinion

Holocaust survivors and WW2 veterans from the former Soviet Union take part at the Holocaust Memorial service of their local Police station, Katsrin, Golan Heights, April 24, 2025.

Immigration from Russia, Ukraine, at its lowest since COVID-19, says Diaspora Affairs Committee


Paris, Kyiv, Baltic states dismayed after China envoy questions Ukraine sovereignty

The three Baltic states and Ukraine, all formerly part of the Soviet Union, reacted along the same lines as France.

 Chinese Ambassador in France Lu Shaye attends the MEDEF union summer forum renamed La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France, LaREF, at the Paris Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, August 29, 2019.

551 Holocaust survivors made aliyah in 2022; 52,513 made aliyah in total

The high number of Holocaust survivors who made aliyah to Israel in 2022 is mainly due to the war in Ukraine.

 Nine Holocaust survivors rescued from the war in Ukraine arrive on a rescue flight, at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 27, 2022.

SSY: Helping Russian-speaking olim integrate into Israel

For the past 12 years, SSY has been creating welcoming educational and empowering communities throughout Israel that remind young Russian-speaking olim of the reasons why they made aliyah.

 Young Russian-speaking volunteers help newer immigrants navigate life in Israel. Hedva Agapova, SSY Jerusalem Volunteer Coordinator, with Linda Pardes Friedburg

Passover: Former Soviet Union Jews finding freedom in Israel

Do Jews who come to Israel find inner freedom or do they become hostages of the situation? I spoke with Jews from the post-Soviet Union who have recently made aliyah.

 A woman points to her relatives’ names on the memorial wall at Yad Vashem on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

US Jews don't recognize the impact of Russian immigrants on Israel

The stories of these human rights legends, who have profoundly influenced Israeli society, politics, and American Jewry, are underestimated.

 Google co-founder Sergey Brin at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos in 2017.

Russia to produce, modernize over 1,600 tanks - Putin

Russia claims that the United States is currently producing 14,000-15,000 shells every month. They believe that the US will be producing up to 75,000 shells by 2025.

 A tank of pro-Russian troops drives along a road near burnt-out residential buildings in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 5, 2022.

Diaspora Week: Questions to ask about Jews from the former Soviet Union - opinion

This complex migration picture has presented the state of Israel, European and American Jewry, as well as regional and international Jewish organizations with complex questions.

 ALIYAH AND INTEGRATION Minister Ofir Sofer takes over from Pnina Tamano-Shata at a handover ceremony at the ministry, in Jerusalem, on January 1. ‘Is Israel ready to accept new waves of olim?’

2023 sees 434% increase in aliyah from the former Soviet Union - Jewish Agency

This stark increase is accompanied by a decrease in aliyah from western countries.

UKRAINIAN OLIM arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport last month.

Purim 1953 in the USSR: When Joseph Stalin had his fatal stroke

Joseph Stalin had a stroke and collapsed in his dacha on Purim, March 1, 1953, possibly assisted by someone in his inner circle. He died four days later.

 A photograph of Stalin taken in 1937.

Russia replacing armor losses with 1960s Soviet tanks -UK intel

Russian tank divisions are being provided with old T-62 main battle tanks, including units in the 1st Guards Tank Army, which the UK described as supposedly being "Russia's premier tank force."

 A tank of pro-Russian troops drives along a road near burnt-out residential buildings in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 5, 2022.