A series of reforms of Israel’s immigration laws designed to stimulate immigration, particularly from Western countries, was outlined here today by Aryeh Dulczin, head of the Jewish Agency’s immigration department, at an Aliyah conference convened by the Zionist Organization of Argentina. The conference was attended by 520 delegates representing Jewish communities and organizations in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Peru.
Mr. Dulczin told the gathering that the reforms were incorporated in new immigration legislation that Prime Minister Eshkol will place before the Knesset shortly. The new law provides for the establishment of hostels where newcomers and their families may live rent free for six months while seeking employment and where Ulpanim, intensive courses in the Hebrew language, will be offered at no cost. Mr. Dulczin told the conference that immigrants must now first obtain housing and then look for work. The new law will permit them to rent homes instead of going into permanent immigrant housing and will exempt them from taxes on incomes of up to 1,500 pounds ($450) during their first year stay and will allow substantial tax reductions for the next three years. Loans of up to 25,000 pounds ($8,000) will be made available to newcomers at low interest rates.
Another feature of the new law will be free secondary school education for the children of immigrants. Israel’s compulsory education law covers only elementary schools. Mr. Dulczin said that Israel needed 31,000 professionals between now and 1970 of which it can produce only 1,500.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
