The story of how Javo Rocha ended up in Israel began with the hardships that the pandemic brought to the lives of many people all around the world.
After making a life as an acknowledged and talented drama teacher in Argentina, Javo faced a major crisis driven by the lockdown that shut down any in-person classes.
The deterioration of life in Argentina and the impact of the pandemic drove Javo to leave his country. In 2020 Javo decided to emigrate to Israel but not before getting advice from one of his brothers, who has been living in Israel for many years.
Javo’s brother was emphatic, “I know you… don’t open any drama classes the first year, you must focus on learning and practicing Hebrew and looking for a job,” he said. Six months before leaving Argentina, Javo took some online Hebrew classes for beginners.
Seeking insights, the Argentinian artist reached out to a Uruguayan actor living in Israel, who, despite his religious convictions and Zionist background candidly said to Javo: “Don’t come to Israel, you will never teach drama or act here. You will most likely end up teaching the elderly older than 80-year-old.”
But this huge red flag did not stop Javo from making Aliyah, and in March of 2021, he arrived in Israel to begin a new life.
Self-confidence sets aside advice
The Hebrew lessons Javo took before his arrival were of little help. According to Javo “If you never studied Hebrew before, those courses only help to soften the impact of your arrival, I just could understand a few words.”
After four months of his arrival, Javo began to study Hebrew at the Ulpan Gordon in Tel Aviv, where his classmates were mostly Russians with a higher fluency than Javo. He rapidly became discouraged, prompting him to switch to a less advanced class, but to that point, his initial struggle with Hebrew learning had already begun.
Putting aside the advice of his brother, Javo focused his efforts on opening drama classes to the Latin American community. He traveled to many cities in Israel asking for support at city halls, embassies of Latin American countries, and many organizations. But not everybody welcomed Javo, after opening eleven courses, just one in-person class had enough enrollment to remain open at the Panamanian Embassy.
Among the many pieces of advice Javo received in Israel, one left him shocked. In regards to job expectations, someone told him to forget about drama teaching for three years. But in Javo’s words “I teach drama, therefore I am.”
In his pursuit to make himself known, Javo took the initiative to contact various Israeli media outlets to share his life story. This initiative gave the Argentinian artist the great opportunity to meet the Israeli actor Doron Tzafrir who introduced him to some personalities in the Israeli theater community.
However, those opportunities only left promises and hollow words, and Javo did not get any job prospects. The idea of teaching drama classes with the help of a Hebrew translator was not well received. The lack of Hebrew proficiency is one of the barriers that limited his opportunities.
The silver lining in the middle of the desert
The life of Javo in Israel was not easy. He worked for a living on jobs not related to his field at all. But, the silver lining of Javo’s story is his unbreakable desire for success as an artist and his self-confidence.
Knowing the wealth of knowledge and expertise he has to offer in his field, Javo requested the support of the Ministry of Absorption which recognized his achievements and gave him the acknowledgment of “Distinguish Oleh.”
While receiving recognition from a governmental organization is one aspect, the true challenge lies in how Israeli society embraces you.
Among the positive experiences of Javo in Israel, the opportunity to act on a Netflix production between Israel and Brazil was one of the most satisfying. Even though the role was small, he visited many places in the country with the production team while doing what he loves most.
The unwavering determination of Javo made him persevere in seeking support from Latin American embassies to endorse his theater projects. And his efforts paid off.
The Panamanian Embassy in Israel was the first one interested in Javo’s talent, supporting him to direct a play based on various Panamanian authors. The play was shown in central cities in Israel for Spanish speakers.
In July 2023, the Argentinian Embassy in Israel gave him a full endorsement to direct two different plays from Argentinian authors and cast more than six actors. And the list of Latin American embassies supporting Javo’s work was growing.
Gaining wisdom from the mistakes
Talking about his decision-making, Javo says: “If I had the chance to turn back time, I would have studied Hebrew intensively for the first year…I didn’t realize the progress other students at the Ulpan were making while I lagged without practicing outside the Ulpan.”
But those mistakes and hardships of Javo’s life in Israel did not diminish his mental endurance. Despite the small community of Spanish speakers in Israel, Javo was determined to be an ambassador of the Latin American theater in Israel.
Javo’s life in Israel was not devoid of rejections and disappointments, and more than once he had considered leaving Israel, but with a good dose of stamina, which is essential for surviving in Israel as a new immigrant, he keeps trying to stay in Israel and creates proposals, such as a cultural project submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The initiative seeks to fight antisemitism through theater plays.
The war against Hamas and the broken dreams
On October 2023, when the war against Hamas began, Javo’s life changed dramatically. The premiere of two plays directed by Javo and sponsored by the Argentinian Embassy was canceled, and the projects along with other embassies fell apart.
Facing alone the uncertainty brought by the war and without a job, Javo made the difficult decision of leaving Israel.
From Buenos Aires, the artist said “Israel teaches how to be stronger… I strived a lot to create my own space in Israel, and just when I was about to achieve that with premieres and a tour, the war burst, and I made the decision to leave Israel.”