The one-day record of immigration to Israel was broken Thursday when nearly 2,500 newcomers, almost all of them from the Soviet Union, arrived in a fleet of planes.
It brought to 24,000 the number of immigrant arrivals so far in November. The total for the first 11 months of the year is about 160,000, 65 percent of whom came from the Soviet Union.
A partial walkout by employees of the Absorption Ministry appeared to have little effect on the new arrivals. They were processed quickly and in an orderly manner.
Because of the labor problem, however, they will have to return to the airport to complete their paperwork before looking for housing and jobs.
Shortly after landing, the immigrants were bused to temporary quarters at hotels all over the country, where they will remain in the interim.
Absorption Ministry personnel went on strike this month to protest the failure to hire additional help to cope with the immigrant influx. They are demanding extra pay for extra work.
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