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Russian-Jewish Immigrants in U.S. Have Israel Connection
(Ha'aretz) - Shlomo Shamir "The children of the first immigrants are now looking for something beyond the career success and economic security they have achieved," says Prof. Daniel (Igor) Branovan, 36, a Russian-Jewish immigrant leader in the U.S. "The central theme for the great majority of the second generation of immigrants is their Jewish identity, and, for most of them, the search for identity takes place on the level of relations with Israel," he said. While one can hear reservations expressed about Israel's policy within the mainstream of the Jewish community, the overwhelming majority of Jewish immigrants from Russia supports Israel without any reservations, Branovan noted. About 85% of the immigrants in New York have relatives in Israel, and 60% have first-degree relatives, explains Dr. Sam Klieger, the American Jewish Committee's coordinator for Jewish-Russian immigrants.