Leon Dulzin, chairman of the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization Executives, reported that Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union would top the 3000 mark this month and the upward trend is likely to continue in the months ahead. But “neshira” (dropouts) — Jews who opt to go to countries other than Israel after arriving in Vienna — was over 66 percent in September and is also expected to remain high, he said.
Dulzin said that efforts were continuing to reduce this phenomenon. He reported that Jewish Agency officials are presently inspecting the facilities in Vienna and Rome, the two way-stops for Jews leaving the USSR, and are holding consultations with other interested parties with a view to reducing the drop-out rate. The issue is under dispute between the Jewish Agency on one hand and the Joint Distribution Committee and HIAS which aid the drop-outs while they wait to immigrate to the countries of their choice, mainly the U.S.
Dulzin reported that overall immigration figures for 1978 showed a 20 percent increase over last year. There were 18,350 immigrant arrivals in Israel during the first nine months of this year compared to 15,095 during the corresponding months of 1977. Despite the drop-outs, the increase is mainly in the number of Jews from the Soviet Union.
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