Faces of New Aliyah

25 portraits, 25 stories, 30 participants. Here are some of their stories.

Faces of New Aliyah is a project by AVA self-photography studio and Israel Shelanu. More than 100 people who chose Israel as their home sent us their stories. Thirty were selected, photographed at AVA and shown at a one-day exhibition at Park HaTachana in Tel Aviv on 13 October 2026. Here are 25 of those portraits, each with the person's own words about what they are building here: businesses, communities, art and ideas, from a coffee roastery to a medical Hebrew club. Every portrait was made the AVA way: no photographer in the room, just the person and the camera.

Curators
Vlad Neyshtadt — Founder of AVA, Exhibition Co-organizer
Alina Muzychenko — Creative Producer (Israel Shelanu)
Katya Shokhina — Executive Producer
Nicolas Dulfan Lado — Curator

Tyoma Sklyar & Ira Garina · Brewkva

My name is Tyoma. I've lived in Israel for 3 years and roast coffee. I've been in coffee for 15 years, from a coffee van in an old Volkswagen to my own small (for now) roastery. I like bright, acidic coffee without bitterness, so I mostly roast light, funky coffee, the kind I drink at home. People order my coffee to their door, as beans or ground for any brewing method, and I also make drip bags! A few cafés across Israel run on my beans. Right now I roast on a small roaster, and a significant expansion is planned for the coming months. My dream is the most technological, beautiful and cool roastery in Israel. By New Year I'm expecting a pile of great coffee! Order on the website and I'll bring it personally and fast. New Instagram followers are always welcome. And why Brewkva ("Brukva", the Russian word for rutabaga)? Ask my wife.

Instagram: @brewkva_coffee_roasters, @moriack
brewkva.com

Anastasia Smagina · LevMade

After moving to Israel we started discovering local designers and makers. We met them at markets, in small studios and on Instagram, and kept finding great things we wanted to tell others about. Sometimes we really needed the item, sometimes we simply couldn't walk past it, and sometimes we wanted to support the maker and a small business. That's how LevMade appeared: a platform of independent design brands, mostly Israeli. Many of them were founded by new olim who continue their work here or start from scratch. Today you can find jewellery, clothing, bags, ceramics, things for home, kids and pets, everything to treat yourself or choose a gift for loved ones. We pack orders beautifully and deliver them fast. We gather in one place things with character and the people who create them. Now you can buy what makes you happy and support local designers at the same time on our platform.

Instagram: @levmade.market, @stasya13
levmade.co.il

Yana Gureyeva · Instagram blog

I'm a new olah and a blogger. My project is my Instagram page. I talk about my life in Israel, about adaptation, about the great things and the difficulties we all face, about Hebrew, about funny and sad situations. In short, I'm learning to live in Israel and helping others do the same, which is exactly what my profile bio says. I run the page for myself and for anyone who resonates with what I say, film or write, or with how I do it. We are surely very different, but we have something in common. At the very least, Israel unites us! Some have been here a long time, some recently, some are only planning to move, and some have left. I sing about what I see. It's hard to say what exactly my blog is about. It's about great places and learning the language, jokes and complaining, strength and vulnerability, life. I also make pink T-shirts with a Star of David. Specifically pink. The Star of David has always meant strength and protection to me, something powerful. And I want it to be about love too. In the photo I'm wearing one of them. You can get one by messaging me directly.

Instagram: @yanagureyeva
www.instagram.com/yanagureyeva

Julia Vydolob · Personal Social Media Practicum

After moving to Israel I realized my social circle had reset to zero, and that my social media, previously irregular, could become a bridge to new acquaintances, contacts and opportunities here. I started telling about life in emigration, about friends' projects, about work that partly stayed in Russia, sharing views and professional notes. Over time I developed an approach that lets you run social media with pleasure and talk about yourself and your work so that people with close values come to you and requests appear. From this approach grew my Practicum on personal social media, which I've been developing for almost two years; the fifth cohort starts soon. Russian-speaking people from different countries join the Practicum, wanting to learn to run social media and present themselves as professionals. Thanks to active social media I myself have met many people in Israel and made friends with some. Now I'm glad that, as a new olah, I can introduce to each other people who have always lived here but never met.

Instagram: @vydolob
vydolob.com/practicum

Lucy Lerman · PS.FLOWERS

I'm a florist and the founder of PS.FLOWERS, my third flower project. I've worked with flowers for 15 years: I started in Kazakhstan, then ran my own flower shop in Russia, and 3.5 years ago I made aliyah and continue my professional path here. For me flowers are not just a beautiful bouquet. They are a way to care for yourself and your loved ones, to create a mood, to support a person and to mark important moments. That's why quality, individuality and attention to the person matter in my work. I choose flowers from suppliers myself and assemble every bouquet considering its recipient, the season and my own aesthetic vision. Today the core of PS.FLOWERS is a flower subscription: regular delivery of fresh seasonal flowers for your home. You can also order an author's bouquet or find me at the Shabbat flower markets I organize in different places in Tel Aviv. PS.FLOWERS is my way of creating a place for myself in Israel through what I love most, flowers. A space of beauty, warmth and connection between people.

Instagram: @ps.flowers.tlv, @pasmurnayalucy
www.instagram.com/ps.flowers.tlv

Portrait of Vika Spiryagina & Philipp Yarin

Vika Spiryagina & Philipp Yarin · Vika & Phil Studio

We've been making animation together for almost fifteen years: we met as teenagers in a children's animation studio, studied together at VGIK, got married and moved to Israel. Vika & Phil Studio is the two of us. We make our own author animated films, titles for feature films and series, special projects for media, and videos for cultural and scientific projects. Animation shows what can't be filmed with a camera, and what is impossible to watch in documentary footage. With animation we talk about difficult topics such as war, social injustice, and the stories of people who are no longer here. We are looking for projects in Israel: museums, publishers, cinema, education, social projects, collaboration with media, directors and artists. Take a look at our work on our website, and if you have a story that's hard to tell in words, write to us!

Instagram: @vikaspiryagina, @philipp_yarin
vikaphil.com

Portrait of Pavel Fridman & Natalia Lukashina

Pavel Fridman & Natalia Lukashina · Allpay

I, Pavel, made aliyah to Israel in 2018, and Natalia in 2026. Over the years here I learned from my own experience all the peculiarities of Israeli service and the banking system. Back then there were almost no interfaces in Russian, and English was rare. So in 2023 I founded Allpay, a payment system for businesses in Israel. We help entrepreneurs accept online payments and integrate payment into websites and online services. We became the first payment system with a Russian-language interface, and for many olim it was a real breath of fresh air. When I first arrived, Apple Pay and Google Pay weren't yet available in Israeli shops. Now we ourselves are moving the payment industry forward: for example, we integrated Allpay into ChatGPT and Claude, and today you can create and analyze payments right in a chat with AI. If you have a business in Israel, we are your best friends. Don't believe it? Ask ChatGPT!

www.allpay.co.il

Eugenia Kagantsova · NeuroTrace

NeuroTrace is a project that grew out of my experience of motherhood and of life as a new olah. When a child has special needs, a parent has to keep dozens of details in mind: sleep, nutrition, medication, mood, reactions to noise, wellbeing, digestion, changes in behaviour. At a specialist appointment a lot is forgotten, and important connections between events go unnoticed. I'm building NeuroTrace as a digital diary that helps collect observations in one place, see recurring patterns and prepare a clear story for a doctor or specialist. In the future I want to connect NeuroTrace with educational institutions, so that the observations of parents and specialists add up to a single picture of the child's condition. NeuroTrace is now being developed and tested. You can join the project as a user, share feedback, subscribe to the news or propose a collaboration.

Instagram: @neurotraceapp
neurotrace.org/index-en

Sonya Avgust · Sonya Avgust art project

I'm an artist and photographer. I paint, take photos, teach painting and keep a blog where I share my life and my work. I came to Israel in 2025 from Rostov-on-Don and now live in Jaffa. That's where I hold my drawing workshops, which anyone can join regardless of their level. I'm trained as an art teacher. In class I explain the basics of composition and colour in simple language and help guide the work from start to finish. Through classes with me you can feel freer and more confident in creativity (and in life). I specialize in landscapes with portals and pictures of cute little Monchhichi monkeys in underpants. You can learn more about it on my Instagram. You can also buy or order a painting or a photo session from me. I paint to order in my own style. Follow my blog, where I share thoughts and just joke around.

Instagram: @avgust.sonya, @sonya.avgust
www.instagram.com/sonya.avgust

Tamara Reichtman · Razgovorim

After having my diploma confirmed here, I worked for 7 years in a hospital in Haifa, in the cardiac ICU and internal medicine departments. I saw and did all sorts of things there. Creative and enterprising, I made my escape from it. Now I help olim doctors and nurses adapt to the healthcare system here. I organized the medical Hebrew conversation club "Razgovorim Rofim" and run online meetings where we chat in hospital Hebrew or prepare for medical exams. Many have already found jobs and successfully treat Israelis. Later non-medics started to join too, and so "Razgovorim Banot" was born, and more teachers appeared... In short, we're growing. I'm thinking of doing the same for other professions, where people who have already made the journey pass their experience and professional Hebrew on to olim. If you need to start speaking... or if you're already well integrated in your profession in Israel and ready to pass experience on to fellow olim, let's organize, and make "Razgovorim ..." for them too :)

Instagram: @razgovorimrofim, @dr.tamara.rey_
t.me/RazgovorimRofim

Lana Nisnevich · How To Social

I create characters for social media for professionals. You're a great specialist but not a blogger, and you need to promote yourself through social media algorithms. How do you do it so that your expertise, charisma and erudition show (and not a boring "encyclopedia" or a copy of someone else's content)? I'm a media manager and journalist who personally built half a million followers on expert content: 115,000 subscribers on YouTube from 39 videos, over 300,000 on TikTok, and another 30,000 across Instagram, Telegram and LinkedIn. Because it's not about the platform, it's about personality. And I help package that personality. What I do: 1) I survey you with the Big Five method to find out your personality traits. 2) I interview you for Tone of Voice, digitizing your syntax, terminology and speech quirks so they can be loaded into AI or handed to a copywriter. 3) I model your character on the four foundations of magnetism: charisma, erudition, lightness, authenticity. You can learn more about character development on my website.

Instagram: @nisnevich
www.Howtosocial.media

Olga Brodska · PROSTIR

PROSTIR is the first and only youth initiative in Israel dedicated to building a strong and active community of Ukrainian olim. We provide psychosocial support to new olim, refugees and lone soldiers of the IDF. Aliyah is always a serious challenge, but it becomes even harder when both your homes are under fire. That's why our main mission is to help young people integrate into Israeli society without losing their roots and identity: Ukrainian, Jewish and Israeli. We organize Shabbat dinners, educational lectures, psychological support groups and celebrations of Israeli holidays. At the moment we are a fully volunteer initiative, open to support and collaboration. Let's create PROSTIR ("space" in Ukrainian) together!

Instagram: @prostir.il, @o.brodska
www.instagram.com/prostir.il

Asya Filkenshtein · Filkenshtein

I make jewellery from fragments of dishes. I studied jewellery making in St. Petersburg and have been doing it for about 10 years. I turn the broken into the whole and help things with a history find a new life. From a grandmother's cup, a plate from a dacha or accidentally broken porcelain come pieces of jewellery that keep the memory of people, places and time. I also run jewellery workshops where you can make matching rings or a bracelet with an important inscription with your own hands, for yourself, a loved one, or simply because you've wanted to try it for a long time. I have a website and an Instagram where you can see the jewellery up close and learn about the workshops. Happy to meet you!

Instagram: @finkel__shtein
finkel-shtein.com

Portrait of Anya Kuzminykh & Danya Marinovsky

Anya Kuzminykh & Danya Marinovsky · Dekel-Chen family exhibition

We are Anna, a curator and artist, and Daniel, a photographer and artist. Together we are creating an exhibition about the family of Sagi Dekel-Chen, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October 2023. We are interested not only in the story of his captivity and his family's fight for his release, but above all in how the family lives after Sagi's return: what has changed in their relationships, everyday life and sense of home. We work with photography, family archives, cyanotype, objects and video to tell this story through the personal experience of its participants, without ready-made conclusions or imposed interpretations. The project is addressed to both Israeli and international audiences. We want people to see, behind events known from the news, a specific family: its memory, love, vulnerability and resilience. Visitors will walk the path from kibbutz life to today, see personal testimonies and hear songs Sagi composed in captivity.

Instagram: @annkuzminikh, @danymarionovsky
dekel-hen-inner-light.rainyflute4.chatgpt.site

Portrait of Danya Lepeshin & Alya Darvay

Danya Lepeshin & Alya Darvay · Moving Culture House

Moving Culture House is an independent cultural project of people from art and education. Since 2021 we have been creating temporary culture houses: in Russia, in India, and since 2024 in Israel. The project brings together shared research into culture, creativity and practices of support. We read Jewish plays and watch films from Israel and neighbouring countries, turning to works that are hard to give time and attention to alone. Discussions help us make sense of complex topics and the lives of different communities. In film labs we combine the experience of emigration with observations of the reality around us. A folk choir preserves the connection with the culture we bring with us. During the war we held an online intensive on dance therapy. The foundation of the community is DIY culture: sharing what you can do and creating what is missing around you. Gradual acquaintance and exchange of ideas give rise to new forms, and we help participants move from an idea to a first meeting.

Instagram: @danya.lepeshin, @risuju_p_kogda_grustno
t.me/moving_culture_house

Sophie Alfimova · Treasure Map. Haifa. Krayot.

New olim often find it hard at the beginning of their new life, and in the group "Treasure Map. Haifa and Krayot" you can find the very support that is so lacking at the first stages. The group's main focus is street finds. In Israel this is called a "hatzaga" (an exhibit): people put unneeded things out on the street and anyone can take what they like. Inside the "Map" we exchange photos and geotags of those very "treasures" from the streets of Haifa and Krayot. By taking household items from the street, group members not only furnish their homes but also help the city, since less bulky furniture ends up in landfills. Besides finds, the group collects various useful information, such as lists of trusted repairmen and charity funds. Members give things away for free, chat, make friends and help each other. It is the collective work of all subscribers and admins of the group, which currently has more than 10,000 members.

Instagram: @salfimova
t.me/c/haifakartasokrovish/1474

Dina Skulacheva · Tahana Merkazit Moshing Crew

I myself think I do alternative gentrification, but people mostly know me as the artistic director of Tahana Merkazit. I organize DIY and underground, yet high-quality, well-attended and large-scale cultural events in sketchy city places, mostly at Tel Aviv's Central Bus Station, and once in Hadar in Haifa. Overcoming all the inconveniences of these places, the lack of official permits and the need to guard the exhibition constantly, together with a team of friends we have successfully held "impossible" festivals. I position myself as a person with the right amount of desperation, and I believe that an ordinary person's way of fighting chaos and decay is to hang paintings in it and to hold concerts and lectures for anyone who wants to come. My project is also about the right use of space and about not leaving anyone in trouble. I would like to restore Tahana Merkazit's former greatness, turn disadvantaged neighbourhoods into venues for social projects, and change life in these places without destroying their identity.

Instagram: @krylo.the.noplace
www.instagram.com/krylo.the.noplace

Sasha Braverman · Instagram blog

I came to Israel at a difficult time, a month before 7 October. To get through the fear and the depression that hit me, I started a blog. That was how I looked for a way to be happy and make others happy in this hard period. The blog became a support, both for me and for those who were looking for a corner of carefree calm. Today there are already more than 60,000 of us in total. Now I not only run the blog but also teach others to do it, so that everyone can realize themselves. If you want to start a blog, just write to me. Oh, and one more thing... My long-time passion is modeling, which I did before moving. After what I've been through I look at this profession differently. Now I dream of returning to it here in Israel. Through the camera and the gaze I want to convey not just outer beauty but strength, energy and renewal. For me modeling is a language without words, able to show that a fire lives in each of us.

Instagram: @sashaplaces
www.instagram.com/sashaplaces

Aleks Jan · Captains of Pohodnaya

The volunteer community "Captains of Pohodnaya" has been leading people on hikes across Israel since 2021. It was founded by two captains: Alex Jan (in the photo), who made aliyah in 2019, and Daniel, who came with the aliyah of the 90s. Different waves of aliyah met, and together we show the country to those who want to know it on foot. Almost every weekend we hit the trails: from the mountains of Eilat to the Golan plateau, from the forests of the Shfela to the hills of Judea and Samaria. Besides hikes we hold night trips under the stars, workshops, living-room concerts and raves in nature. We speak mostly Russian but welcome everyone: new olim and old-timers, those who keep Shabbat and those who don't. The community already has more than 4,000 people. No car? Not a problem: we'll always help you find a ride. Hikes are led by a team of guides: we write out all route details in advance and choose the location with the season, the weather and Home Front Command guidance in mind. Join our Telegram channel for announcements and a general hiking chat!

Instagram: @trail.captains, @jan_blarky
t.me/InfoPohodnaya

Semion Aleksandrovskiy · Love Letters

I'm a theatre director. After moving to Israel I wanted to get to know this country through the personal voices of the people who lived here. That's how "Love Letters" appeared: a free app and an audio walk through Tel Aviv-Jaffa. The map holds more than 50 authentic letters: from famous writers and politicians, participants in events that changed the country's history, and people whose names are almost forgotten. They are read by contemporary actors, and short stories help you understand who wrote, to whom and in what circumstances. You can walk the streets and listen to the letters where these stories unfolded, or open the map from anywhere in the world. For me it's a way to see living people behind familiar street names, with their tenderness, partings, hopes and doubts. The free app "מכתבי אהבה" can be installed from the link. Open the map and choose a letter. The project is growing: we are looking for new letters and will be glad to hear from anyone who wants to tell us about finds or support the work.

Instagram: @lovelettersisrael, @aleksandrovskiy
waiwai.is/loveletters

Anna Maslennikov · 5=3

5=3 is an art project supporting women who have experienced pregnancy loss. The name comes from my personal story: five pregnancies, three children. 5=3. This simple formula became a way to talk about loss without having to explain what is sometimes hard to find words for. The project exists in different forms: ceramics, installations and interventions in urban space. Ceramic 5=3 plaques have already been placed in more than 30 cities around the world. I leave this formula in different cities, inviting others to ask themselves: "What are your numbers?" That's how a personal story becomes part of a shared conversation. It's important to me to fight the taboo around this topic and to create a space where every woman can feel she is not alone. You can join the project: share your formula on the website, tell about the project on social media or place 5=3 in your own city.

Instagram: @5equals3, @anna_maslennikov
5equals3.org

Eva Rivkin · RÊVE

I'm an orthodontist and the founder of the RÊVE dental clinic in Tel Aviv. We solve dental problems of any complexity, from prevention and checking first baby teeth to comprehensive treatment of the bite and the jaw joint. When opening RÊVE I wanted to create here an island of the private medicine that is familiar to the Russian-speaking community: attentive, clear, in your native language and with that same level of service. It is especially important for me to help new olim who have just arrived in Israel and are still looking for support, and to give them the care they are used to. We don't only treat, we also give jobs: 90% of our team are olim of the last ten years from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. RÊVE is first of all a community of people with similar views on life and health. That's why we hold meetings and lectures within the clinic's walls with a view of the sea. It's a place where you can feel at home even in a new and still unfamiliar country. We'll be glad to see you.

Instagram: @reve.clinics, @evarivkin
www.instagram.com/reve.clinics

Maria Oleneva · Friendly Speed Dating

Friendly Speed Dating is a project about meeting people that I've been developing since 2019. We appeared in Israel in 2023. Since then I've organized several dozen events, speed dating nights and picnics, in Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Haifa, Jerusalem and Netanya. The project is especially aimed at new olim and those who have moved to Israel and want to widen their circle, find friends, like-minded people or a romantic partner. Unlike ordinary singles parties, we have a special bot that lets you choose which participants you'd like to talk to. It also sends the contacts at the end of the event. The project has a multilingual audience: we hold events in Russian, English and Hebrew. If you want new acquaintances and live communication, join the next meeting, follow our social media and come to meet people: sometimes one short conversation becomes the beginning of a friendship, a love or a new circle.

Instagram: @fsd_tlv, @mariaoleneva
friendly.send-pulse.com

Olya Shtalberg · Pop Up Gallery

pop up gallery is a series of one-day photo exhibitions where a photograph becomes a reason to tell a story. Authors show one photograph each on a shared theme and tell what stands behind the frame. Among them are professional photographers and simply creative people who have something to share. The project began in spring 2022 "for our own people", as a reason and a place to meet. Since then there have been more than 40 exhibitions in different cities in Israel (and even beyond). For me it's a project about the idea that in the age of smartphones (and camera glasses) anyone can have a photograph worthy of printing and a story worthy of the stage. And that the most unexpected places can briefly become a gallery. And about how pleasant it is to slow down and hold a real print in your hands, and to talk live rather than online. Follow announcements and open calls via the link in Instagram or in the Telegram channel.

Instagram: @popup_gallery_il, @oshtalberg
t.me/popupphoto

Denis Talalaev · Custom Electric Bikes

I customize and electrify unusual bicycles. It's not enough for me to simply fit a motor and a battery: I want to keep the character, proportions and visual language of each bike, so that modern technology doesn't erase its individuality.
Every project combines restoration, engineering and design. I choose the components and plan where they sit and how the wiring runs, so the bike stays comfortable, recognisable and alive.
For me it's also about using things wisely: instead of scrapping old bicycles, we can give them a second life, make city mobility more accessible, and show that modern transport doesn't have to be new and faceless.
I work for people who care about the story behind an object, an eco-friendly approach and the freedom to move around the city. If you have an old or unusual bike, we can talk about it as a future project, and you can follow new work and the process online on my website.

Instagram: @dtaaall09
customelectricbks.carrd.co