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Polish Jewish Writer Says Vast Majority of Russian Jews Want to Emigrate to Israel

March 19, 1970
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A Polish-Jewish journalist who said he had close contacts with Russian Jews claimed today that the “vast majority of them would like to leave the Soviet Union and come to Israel.” Haim Himmelfarb, 47, arrived at Haifa yesterday with 187 other immigrants. Before leaving Poland he wrote for a trade union organ under the name Henrik Weber. Mr. Himmelfarb claimed that unlike Polish Jews, Russian Jews “have a deep and proud Jewish consciousness” and wanted to go to Israel. He said problems such as non-Jewish wives would not stop them. Polish Jews, on the contrary, are not conscious of their Jewish heritage and preferred not to go to Israel, he added. Another Polish emigre who arrived at Haifa yesterday was Kalma Segal, 53, author of some 30 books in Yiddish and Polish. He had worked for the Polish radio and television service before leaving that country last November.

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