Elvia Fisher seems to move fast. But she takes her time to do her research and test the waters before she dives in. In life, business, and love Elvia is quick to hone in on her desires but meticulous in the planning and details it takes to turn her passions into realistic ventures.
So it was with her Aliyah, when she moved to Israel in 2009, at the age of 24, Elvia Fisher found that the resources she was accustomed to in the USA, such as good local libraries, play spaces and parks were sorely absent in the Tel Aviv Anglo community. She saw this as an opportunity and opened CityKids, an English speaking community center in the heart of Tel Aviv, only one year later. In the mere 3 years since the center opened, CityKids has become a resource for over 2,000 families from all over the country.
CityKids provides Anglos with an all-in-one culture, education and play space for Anglo families, boasting an outstanding nursery school, summer camp, library and a variety of toys and top-of-the-line educational resources – all in English. Elvia has helped children and families maintain a bi-cultural and bi-lingual identity in Israel. The center offers a stress-free space where “parents can unload after a rough day in the city.” Part of its success is due to Elvia’s ideological insistence on employing talented Olim to teach and help her build the center, which also provides a job source for Anglos.
After making Aliyah, Elvia studied Hebrew with the same passion and progressed rapidly through the levels of Ulpan (Hebrew classes), immersing herself in Israeli culture while learning the language. When it came to love, she moved just as swiftly, meeting her Israeli husband only two weeks after she arrived in Israel.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Elvia Fisher was “super involved” with NFTY, a youth movement for Reform Jewish teens. She worked as a nanny throughout high-school and university. While she was in university she came to Israel once to visit a friend at Kibbutz Tzuba which sparked her decision to do a Kesher Birthright trip in 2004. After graduation in 2007, Elvia decided to take a trip around the world; with the first stop being Israel. After concluding Livnot U’Lehibanot’s 14 day volunteer program, she decided to check out the Tel Aviv scene and learn Hebrew at Ulpan Gordon. Eventually, Elvia realized she was starting to run out of money so she started doing what she did best- nannying – which lead her on the path to opening CityKids three years later, making Aliyah in the meantime. She never did complete the rest of that world trip.
While caring for Olim children and those of returning residents as a nanny, Elvia thought about creating the same resources that were important to her for her future children. She understood that they were sure to be important to countless other families too.
“It has never been about the money, it was always about the families” she says. Those who come from metropolitan areas like New York, San Francisco, London, New Delhi, and Paris and prefer to live in the city, often found it necessary to move to an Anglo suburb after having children because there were no resources for their children in the city. Since Elvia had no intention of ever leaving Tel Aviv she was determined to find a solution, and created the center. She credits the attitude of Israel’s founders – of not sitting back and “waiting to be served with a spoon” – for inspiring her to go forward and build her dream. She says this country was built by people who did not accept the status quo and constantly strived to better their surroundings and provide for themselves.
In the three years since opening the center, Elvia has come across countless people who want to help Olim and contribute to their success. She is proud to be able to join them in assisting Olim integrate and settle comfortably in Israel’s metropolitan areas, as are underway to open additional centers in other locations.
