Nevertheless, welfare, like vodka drinking and the Russian Mafia, are images the community members abhor. The two largest groups in Portland area, evangelicals and Jews, are either forbidden or culturally not inclined to drink. Portland police report that Russian-speaking immigrants have been convicted of auto theft, air bag thefts and assaults, almost always by the younger generation, a phenomenon experienced in all immigrant groups. Still, there are significant problems. Newcomer orientation includes learning what is legal.
Older immigrants suffer illness and isolation.
Religious immigrants are worried about their youth, who acquire the language and mores of Americans faster than anyone can believe. Successful immigrants who have rebuilt their lives are increasingly supporting others. Vakulsky's church is a generational bridge, offering Russian language and grammar classes to youths and, soon, services in English. Here, you pull it or twist it or wave your hands under it, I don't know. Every day, you are learning how to act, who you are now, how to be.