Eastside Attracts Russian Immigrants -- New Roots In Bellevue

BELLEVUE - There's a deli in the heart of Crossroads where English is seldom spoken.

Most of the customers at Lvov European Deli, like the books, newspapers and boxes of biscuits that line the shelves, come from the former Soviet Union.

Some who gather at the colorful deli come to buy pickled herring or salami or dark rye bread. Others come just to chat.

"If people just come and buy nothing, I'm happy," said Halina Oliynik, 36, a Ukrainian refugee who started the business last fall. "I like people; I like the community."

As the refugee population from former Soviet republics has swelled to about 10,000 in Washington state over the past few years, the newcomers have settled in clusters: in Kent, the University District and parts of South Snohomish County.

But none of the other destinations compares with Bellevue, where thousands of Russians are putting down roots, establishing one of the largest and strongest fledgling Russian-speaking communities in the area. People not only live in the same apartment complexes and neighborhoods but have launched businesses that cater to other Russian speakers.

Natalia Bologova, a caseworker for the Eastside Multi-Ethnic Services in Bellevue's Crossroads area, estimates there are at least 3,500 people from the former Soviet Union living in the city.

Some of the refugees say they were attracted to the clean streets, safe neighborhoods and good schools. But, most readily concede, having other Russian speakers around certainly didn't hurt.

"When someone ends up here, a lot of people try to live here," said Vladimir Kigel, 45, a recent arrival from Los Angeles. "Bellevue is becoming a mecca of Russian-speaking people."

Kigel just completed a phone book that lists 54 Russian businesses in the state, from auto shops to tailors to restaurants. About half are in Bellevue. Kigel, a newspaper columnist in Ukraine before he came to the United States several years ago, plans to launch a Russian-language newspaper this summer. About a quarter of Ukraine's population is Russian.

The number of refugees arriving in King County from the former Soviet Union jumped from four in 1987 to 1,067 in 1993, with a peak of 1,327 in 1992. The majority were Russian Jews and Pentecostal Christians who qualified for refugee status because of religious persecution. The U.S. refugee policy also allows certain members of Ukrainian Catholic or Orthodox churches.

Robert Johnson, regional director of the International Rescue Committee, said the majority of the refugees from the former Soviet Union have settled in King County.

The committee is one of a half-dozen organizations that help refugees settle. Another, the Jewish Family Service, has assisted about 1,000 refugees from the former Soviet Union who've settled in Bellevue. Jeanette Lozovsky, who coordinates resettlement programs for the service, said the first refugees to arrive settled in Seattle.

"Then they started to resettle in Bellevue," Lozovsky said. "As soon as one group would settle, another would start. It's like a snowball."

In Crossroads, it's not uncommon to hear Russian spoken in supermarkets, shopping malls and at bus stops. Many English as a Second Language classes are overwhelmingly Russian. And several apartment complexes in Crossroads have families from the same country or town clustered in the same buildings.

The Bellevue School District has close to 200 students who speak Russian or Ukrainian or come from former Soviet republics. After native Spanish speakers, Russian and Japanese speakers are the largest groups of students for whom English is a second language.

There are four Russian-owned delicatessens in Bellevue that cater to Eastern Europeans and customers from the former Soviet Union. Most offer imported Russian candy, cookies, chocolate and dried or pickled fish. The newest deli-restaurant, near Overlake in east Bellevue, had its grand opening Sunday.

"When people come to America and ask where Russians live," said Oliynik, who arrived three years ago with her mother, her husband and her two children, "They say, `In Bellevue. Go to Bellevue.' "

Oliynik hopes to open a community center in Crossroads this summer that will show Russian films, host Russian musicians and serve as a meeting place for people to visit over tea and Russian cakes. Her deli is already stocked with Russian videos, cassettes and hardcover books.

Alexandra Aslanidi, 23, who is from Ukraine, said having people around who speak the same language, eat the same food and share the same history makes the transition to the United States easier.

"In my apartment building there are so many Russians," laughed Aslanidi, who is studying accounting at Bellevue Community College. "Soon it's going to be like Brooklyn in New York."

Chris Thomas started the First Slavic Pentecostal Church in Bellevue, which now has more than 100 members. He takes credit for the growth of the Russian-speaking community in the city, and says he helped one of the first refugee families from Russia to settle in Bellevue.

That family arrived in 1988 from Siberia. After that, he said, he helped relocate about 150 more.

"In the beginning they didn't have any choice," Thomas said. "But now they live here, and some have good jobs, and I think they are doing pretty good."

Another large community, estimated at about 4,000 people, has grown in Kent, where advocates for refugees say there is more subsidized and low-income housing available. The majority are Pentecostal Christians from rural areas in former Soviet republics.

Refugees with children under 18 are eligible for federal public assistance, which amounts to about $642 for a family of four. Adults with no children are eligible for eight months of assistance - about $350 a month - while they look for work.

Hiep Tran-Thien, the manager of the Employment Opportunities Center in Crossroads, said some of the refugees who settle in Bellevue earned advanced degrees back home. But usually, their degrees in engineering or medicine don't translate into jobs here. For most of the refugees that the center assists, the only jobs available are low- or minimum-wage positions in food service or housekeeping.

"These people are good workers; we need to help them survive," he said.

Refugee arrivals from the former Soviet Union have started to taper off. And with U.S. immigration and refugee policies up for debate, it's unclear how many more will arrive.

Marina Mikhailov, who moved to Bellevue with her husband and young son two years ago to escape political persecution in Latvia, said she welcomes the support of the community.

But even without other Russians around, she said, she'd be better off than she was back home.

"Here I am free," said Mikhailov, who faced discrimination after the fall of the Soviet Union because she was Russian. "I can do what I want and not have people tell me, `You are Russian - go away.' "