October’s figures for Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union showed a slight increase from the previous month and, again as in September, was the largest monthly total of Jews leaving the Soviet Union since April 1980.
A total of 2,068 Jews left the Soviet Union in October, of whom 192, or 9.3 percent, went to Israel, according to the National Conference on Soviet Jewry.
The total number of Jews who have left the Soviet Union this year to date is 13,306, the highest number since 1980, when 21,471 Jews emigrated. In April 1980, 2,469 Jews emigrated from the Soviet Union.
The October figure exceeded by only 17 the number of Jews who emigrated in September– 2,051 — and exhibited the same percentage as last month of emigres arriving in Israel.
The majority of these Jewish emigres, 1,954, traveled through Vienna, of whom 78 proceeded to Israel. A total of 114 went to Israel directly via Bucharest, Romania.
The total of Soviet emigres, both Jews and non-Jews, arriving in Vienna in October was 2,473, of which 519 were non-Jews, according to National Conference figures.
This includes those going through Bucharest and Vienna.
The National Conference estimates that the vast majority of Jews leaving the Soviet Union are not long-term refuseniks.
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.
