Immigrants in the city: From exploration to domestication

This essay looks atimmigrants' integration into the economic and cultural life of Haifa, one of the largest Russian-speaking urban enclaves. Based on participant observation and auto-ethnography, it reflects on visual and acoustic signs of the 'Russian' presence. It further analyzes factors determining the newcomers' choices of neighbourhood and subsequent intra-city migration. Immigrantowned businesses catering to consumer tastes of ex-Soviets have become the meeting points of various ethnic groups inhabiting the city. Over time, educational institutions created by immigrant teachers and centres providing intellectual enrichment have switched to bilingual activities to meet the changing needs of co-ethnics and to attract a wider public, but the underlying pedagogical principles and cultural values behind them remain Russian.