Aviva’s Story – Aliyah and Absorption

The Ashkelon Absorption Centre houses over 300 Ethiopian olim, mostly families, for two to three years as they integrate into Israeli society

Residents receive comprehensive support in language, religion, healthcare, education and employment

During the October 7 attacks, the centre was evacuated due to lack of safe rooms and damage from nearby rocket strikes

Aviva, the centre’s manager, coordinated the evacuation while relocating her own family, driven by a sense of duty to the residents

UIA-funded therapy to help residents cope with the trauma

The centre celebrates every family’s graduation as a milestone of success and independence

Meet Aviva from Ashkelon Absorption Centre, a woman who lives her purpose

“When new immigrants arrive, the absorption centre is their first home. It’s where they begin again.” 

For over four years, Aviva has managed the Ashkelon Absorption Centre, a quiet complex of apartment buildings that becomes the launching point for hundreds of Ethiopian olim every year. With around 330 residents at any given time, most arrive through ongoing Aliyah operations and spend two to three years here building their new lives in Israel. 

Aviva, who also made Aliyah from Ethiopia as a child, explained that the majority come as families, often reconnecting with relatives who immigrated earlier, “this place is for families, and we take care of them all like a family.”

Absorption begins with education 

Each new resident begins with intensive Hebrew classes and religious learning, including a return-to-Judaism process for those who need it. “They’ve lived through so many transitions. In Ethiopia, some married outside of Judaism or assimilated. Here, they begin again.” 

But the UIA supported centre goes beyond language and religion. The centre offers a complete support system: education, social work, medical guidance, a synagogue, parenting workshops and career preparation. “It’s like a small town. We build their independence step by step.” The centre assists residents with everything from setting up bank accounts and accessing healthcare to enrolling in school, finding work, and navigating Israeli bureaucracy. “It’s full immersion into Israeli life,” Aviva explains. “We hold their hands through it all.”

Home, during war times 

When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, Ashkelon was one of the cities hit hardest. “Everyone has to run down to a shared shelter in 30 seconds. Can you imagine? A mother in the shower, children in different rooms, trying to get everyone down four floors.” Though the centre was not directly hit, nearby explosions shattered windows and sent shrapnel across the compound. “We found pieces in the buildings,” she says. “We kept them. A reminder.” 

The Jewish Agency evacuated the centre’s 430 residents, sending 270 to the north and the rest to stay with relatives. Aviva was coordinating logistics while also relocating her own four children to safety. “Every 100 metres there was another rocket. I don’t know how I did it.” 

What kept her going through it all? A deep sense of responsibility -“these people are my people. I had to show up for them.”

Stories that stay with you 

The job is not easy. Aviva carries the emotional weight of parents who cry in her office, asking her to help bring their children from Ethiopia. “They believe I have power. I listen. I try. But there’s only so much I can do. Still, they bless me. That gives me strength.” She says each of their stories find a place in her heart and recalled in particular the story of a father whose ex-wife passed away in Ethiopia. His two children were left alone. Though the children were not Jewish, the Jewish Agency secured special approval to bring them to Israel to reunite with their father – “two months ago, that family graduated from the centre. They have their own home now. That’s our win.”

Hope in empty suitcases 

“The hardest challenge is the language,” Aviva says. “And the pain of separation. So many have family still in Ethiopia.” 

But what defines the community is not hardship. It is strength. “They’ve already been through war. They came here carrying hope in empty suitcases.” 

On October 7, they lived through terror again. But they stayed strong. UIA supported therapeutic services in their own languages, giving families tools to recover and build resilience. “They handled it like champions,” says Aviva. “They gave us strength.” 

She finds hope in the pride of the next generation. Her daughter is about to enlist in the army. “That’s why we do this. To build a future.” 

When asked what gives her the energy to keep going, Aviva does not hesitate. “Zionism. The love of Israel. Knowing I help people build new lives. That’s all the power I need.”

Find out more about Aliyah and Absorption and UIA supported Absorption Centres: