Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 10, 1990                   TAG: 9005100373
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CODY LOWE RELIGION WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SOVIET JEWS MOVING TO ROANOKE

Ann Penn, a spokeswoman for the Roanoke Jewish Community Council, said the two families soon must leave Italy, where they have been waiting for permission to emigrate here, to avoid deportation back to the Soviet Union.

Penn said the council received some limited information about several families and chose to assist two.

The family of Demetry Shapiro comes from Kiev. Shapiro, 30, is a photographer; his wife, Victoria, 26, is a dressmaker. They have a 4 1/2-year-old son, Vadim.

Stanislav Zelakovitch, 40, is a bookkeeper from Minsk. His 37-year-old wife, Lyubov, is a statistician. They have two children: Mike, 13, and Margaret, 9.

Penn said the families will live in two-bedroom Grandin Village apartments, which are being furnished with donations. "We've had just a wonderful response from the community," Penn said.

Donations of such things as non-perishable foods and personal-hygiene products would still be welcomed, she said.

The location was chosen because it is within walking distance of a small business district and is near public transportation, Penn said.

The United States agreed to allow the resettlement of 40,000 Soviet Jews this year, but only 32,000 will be eligible for government aid, such as food stamps or Medicaid.

The families coming to Roanoke do not have relatives or friends in the United States and will be among the 8,000 not eligible for welfare assistance in their first year here, Penn said. The Roanoke Jewish Community Council will be responsible for providing whatever assistance is needed.

After a year, the family members can apply for resident-alien status and will be eligible for government social services.