The Role of English as a Central Component of Success in the Professional and Social Integration of Scientists from the Former Soviet Union in Israel

More than 13,000 scientists from the former Soviet Union have arrived in Israel since 1988. The purpose of this study is to analyze various factors that influence immigrant scientists' integration into the Israeli society and academic community, paying a special attention to their multilingual identity. The previous studies conducted in this field emphasized the significance of the Hebrew language and juxtaposed Russian with Hebrew. However, in Israel, especially in the higher classes, English constitutes an important status symbol and a boundary marker. The research data demonstrates that English is a crucial factor which shapes the patterns of the immigrants' integration into the Israeli society. The results of various statistical tests presented in this study demonstrate significant differences between those who studied English and those who studied either German or French regarding the feeling of personal self-actualization and job satisfaction. Moreover, one's command of English proved to be the factor which determines one's risk of losing a job. Accordingly, the Israeli language policy, which, for ideological reasons, has traditionally perceived the acquisition of Hebrew by immigrants as its major goal, should be reformulated: apart from studying Hebrew, the immigrants who did not have an opportunity to study English beforehand must be provided with an access to this language, since without it they are unlikely to become the equal members of the Israeli middle class