The Institute for Immigration and Social Integration
The Institute for Immigration and Social Integrations is a unique academic institute in Israel dedicated to studying migration and promoting social integration of immigrants, through an applied, multi-disciplinary approach.
Immigration is a prominent issue for many countries, one that entails rapid demographic, social, and economic changes that can affect each country and relations between countries. Globally, recent trends have increased public discourse on the political, social, and economic drivers and consequences of migration. Applied research and evidence-based practices could contribute significantly to this discourse.
The Israeli immigrant experience provides a valuable platform for learning about this global phenomenon. Migration is a central theme in the collective identity of Israeli society and significantly impacts many areas of life in the country – culture, values, customs, community and social structures, service provision, legislation, economy, and employment.
Recognizing the growing importance of addressing immigration both locally and internationally, and the significant role academia can play in addressing this issue, the Ruppin Academic Center (RAC) undertook to place migration and social integration (including Aliyah and Absorption of Jewish immigrants) high on their agenda. In 2005, RAC established the Institute for Immigration and Social Integration (IISI). IISI is the first and only institute in Israel addressing these issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective.
The Institute initiates and conducts studies pertaining to immigration and social integration and serves as an academic home and a professional support center for those engaging in the field. The Institute is a think-tank and a hub for innovative, groundbreaking research and its dissemination in the public. It promotes policy legislation based on its research and interdisciplinary findings and it seeks to integrate theory and practice.
In addition to targeted studies, the Institute conducts long-term studies among various groups of immigrants (including immigrants with Jewish roots called "olim") in Israeli society. The Annual Statistics of Immigrants in Israel, published by the Institute, aggregates statistical information culled from many sources pertaining to olim and their status in the country. In 2007, the "Ruppin Index" of immigrant integration in Israel was developed by Institute's researchers and has been presented at many international conferences.
In 2022, the Institute developed the Aliyah Index whose many ancillary indices reflect the attitudes of the Israeli public to aliyah and olim (immigrants with Jewish roots). These indices pertain to economics, education and culture, among other aspects, and serve as the basis for the overall index of the Israeli public's attitude toward aliyah and olim.
The Institute serves as a venue for interdisciplinary dialogue, think-tanks for the study of immigration, and for the implementation of ideas. Underlying the approach of the Institute and its activities is the desire to introduce the principle of interconnectedness, where academic knowledge and cumulative applied experience mix and meld. The knowledge is based on the rich experience of immigration researchers from around the world, the experience of personnel in the field, and the perspectives of immigrants and natives.
IISI networks with academic and research institutes around the world and is a member of several multi-national initiatives. In 2006, IISI became the Israeli representative on the Steering Committee of the Metropolis International Project, an international organization that promotes research and policy development in the field of migration. In addition, the Institute leads the yearly meeting of the Canada-Israel Forum, a partnership of Israeli researchers with the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) in Montreal.
In 2017, the Institute joined DEMO Developing Modernized Curricula on Immigrants Lives in Israel, an EU Erasmus+ program. In the framework of the program, Israel and European institutes of higher education work together on developing advanced and diverse methodologies for learning about immigrant lives and experiences.
Since 2022, the Institute has participated in the Migrants' Integration Through Education (MINTE) project, another Erasmus+ undertaking. The project focuses on the status of immigrants (especially refugees from Ukraine) in the receiving countries. This is an international project intended to ease the burden imposed by the waves of refugees on local authorities, especially in Poland and the Czech Republic. The MINTE project focuses on developing an implementable integration policy and monitoring and disseminating successful methods for integrating immigrants from other countries in Europe and Israel.
In partnership with the Migration and Demography Section of the Israeli Sociology Society, IISI publishes the journal Hagira (immigration), which is an internet-based academic journal. It can be accessed from the Institute's website.
The Institute endeavors to influence public policy by means of direct communication with policy makers and by enriching public discussions pertaining to the decision-making process. To this end, it participates in cooperative ventures and maintains regular ties with relevant government ministries, local authorities, and not-for-profit organizations.
As of October 2022, the Institute is headed by Dr. Svetlana Chachashvili-Bolotin, a researcher of immigration and inequality, immigration and education, and immigration and excellence. Faculty members in the Institute include senior researchers from various academic disciplines who are leading figures in the field of immigration.
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