ABSTRACT
This chapter considers adaptation patterns of Israeli immigrants in Los Angeles in light of theoretical and descriptive literature as well as field work. While the immigration literature suggests the possibility of including Israeli immigrants into each of three categories — professional immigrants, entrepreneurial immigrants, and unorganized marginals — much discussion depicts them as members of the latter group. The literature on Israeli immigrants in the United States offers some arguments for classifying this population in each of the three categories. In addition to lengthy interviews, participant observation was also conducted at a variety of religious and secular community activities and other Israeli immigrant settings. The presence of young or school-age children in Israeli immigrant families heightens their ambivalence, but fosters involvement with fellow Israelis. The most extensive and highly elaborate forms of cooperation generally take place within various subgroups based upon common background factors such as ethnic and national origins or cohort of entry into the United States.
