Premier Yitzhak Rabin hailed Soviet Jewry as the largest reservoir of Jews willing to come to Israel and participate in building the State. Addressing 540 delegates and several hundred guests at the opening of the third annual convention of the Association of Russian Immigrants in Israel at Kibbutz Shafayim Rabin declared that the struggle of Soviet Jews to immigrate to Israel was the most important sign of Jewish vitality at a time when Zionism is under attack in many parts of the world.
Absorption Minister Shlomo Rosen offered statistical evidence that the integration of Soviet Jews into Israeli society is succeeding. Yosef Almogi, chairman of the World Zionist Organization Executive, drew applause when he declared that the WZO planned to improve the absorption process by placing it in the hands of the olim themselves.
According to Rosen, more than 110,000 Jews have come to Israel from the USSR since emigration from that country was made possible on a comparatively large scale. He said that while Israel was not prepared at the time to absorb such numbers properly, 95 percent of the newcomers found employment within three years of their arrival.
Rosen reported that 40 percent were absorbed in industry, 6000 work as scientists and engineers, 2000 are physicians and 42 percent of the Russian olim were academicians. This type of aliya is not a burden but an asset to the country, he said.
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.
