Four hundred and forty North Americans–the largest single aliyah ever–sailed for Israel last night from Pier 97 on the Greek Line’s S.S. Anna Maria. They were heading for Garin Hamagshimim, a cooperative community in the Judean. Hills. 10 miles north of Jerusalem. There are 10 American families already settled there. The new olim (settlers) were of all ages and of various occupations, from computer programer to bookkeeper to rabbi. Col. Nachum Golan, national director of the Israel Aliyah Center of the World Zionist Organization, said that emigration to Israel, which rose to a record 4,300 in 1968 and then to 6,500 last year, would increase by 33 percent over the latter figure this year. Olim interviewed by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency said they were anxious to go to Israel even though it meant financial sacrifices. They emphasized the Jewish State’s historic, cultural and ethnic appeal, and said that despite the tension of Arab-Israeli relations they would feel safer in Israel than in the United States.
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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.
