Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
IDF. The community is mostly self-suffi cient; members live communally, and children at-
tend a community school supervised by the Ministry of Education. They are vegan in diet
and produce food, perfume, and other craft products. The group practiced polygamy until
the 1990s.
Foreign Workers
Since the late 1990s, a large number of foreign workers have come to the country to replace
the Palestinian workers from the territories. Israel closed the borders to workers from the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the face of rising Palestinian terrorism. With the continuing
development of Israel's economy and heightened prosperity, many Israelis themselves were no
longer willing to work in unskilled, low-paying, labor-intensive jobs.
Three main sectors of the economy employ foreign workers, each drawing people from
different countries. Construction is mainly done by workers from Turkey, Bulgaria, and Ro-
mania. Agricultural workers are usually Thai or Chinese. Nursing of senior citizens and house-
keeping are generally the province of workers from the Philippines. In addition, economic
refugees from sub-Saharan Africa have entered the country illegally.
It is diffi cult to estimate the number of foreign workers. Those on fi xed contracts are sup-
posed to remain in the country for only a certain period of time, although many leave their
jobs or stay on after their contracts expire in order to work illegally. Sections of Tel Aviv, nota-
bly around the Old Central Bus Station, have a high population of such people. Many of those
employed send money home to families left behind, although in some cases entire families are
living in Israel. There are small periodic deportation campaigns.
A Chinese foreign worker outside a grocery store, Tel Aviv, July 2008. (Getty Images / Image Bank.)
