This article examines economic activities developed among Israeli immigrants in Los Angeles. Previous studies have asserted that little cooperation exists among Israelis in the United States. However, our findings, based on participant observation and in-depth interviews, suggest that Israelis are involved in a host of collective social and economic endeavors.
While Israeli immigrants sometimes collaborate with American Jews and reveal solidarity on a community-wide basis, those sharing commonalities based on premigration ties have developed especially active networks. Forms of cooperation among two such groups, Kibbutzniks and Persian-origin Israelis, are discussed here. Israeli immigrants’ use of ethnic labor markets are explored, as well as the nature of co-ethnic cooperation in various industries.
Conclusions suggest that Israeli immigrant cooperation is a complex matter, shaped by national loyalties, subgroup ties and the larger social and economic contexts in which they function. As a result, we see their experience as reflecting a series of interrelated ethnic networks, extending both within and beyond the Israeli immigrant population.
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