Only 11,298 immigrants came to Israel in 1985, the lowest-ever annual figure. The figure includes 2,035 immigrants from Ethiopia. The previous all-time low was 1953, when 11,326 immigrants arrived in Israel.
The 1985 figure reflected a drop in immigration from Rumania–from 1,950 in 1984 to 1,330 last year. Western European immigration was down, too–from 2,958 to 2,343. Latin American aliya was down from 1,853 in 1984 to 1,563 in 1985.
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.
