More than 6,000 additional Jews from various parts of the Soviet Union are expected to settle this summer in the Biro-Bidjan region, Max Levin, national chairman of the ICOR Association for Jewish Colonization in the Soviet Union, said in a lecture last night at the Hotel Newton. Biro-Bidjan is a settlement being developed by the Soviet government in which Russian Jews are to set up an autonomous government. The lecture was presented under the auspices of the Friends of the Soviet Union, West Side branch.
Mr. Levin discussed the industrial, agricultural and cultural developments, as well as the possibilities, in the Biro-Bidjan settlement. He pointed out that since 1928, when the region was first settled by 28,000 Russians the population has been increased by 22,000.
Mr. Levin prophesied that “in the near future” at least 10,000 Jews from foreign countries will be permitted to settle in Biro-Bidjan.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.