Transnational Immigrants Encounter the Workplace: North American Jewish Migrants in Israel Who Work in Fundraising

Abstract

This paper examines how migrants' identities and experiences are shaped by their workplaces and fields of activity and vice versa: the perceived impact they exert on workplaces and fields of activity in their host country. Focusing on transnational migration theory and how it manifests in the case of North American immigrants in Israel, I examine these migrants' involvement in Israeli fundraising and philanthropy. The paper finds that North American Jews working in fundraising feel that their position has an influence upon their workplaces and, on a broader scale, Israeli society; that the transnational position helps them adapt to life in Israel; and that their transnational identity strengthens their Israeli identity.