A total of 6,272 Jews left Rumania for Israel during the year just concluded, figures issued today by the Israel legation here established. This is less than two percent of the entire Jewish population in the country.
In January of 1949, a total of 1,324 Rumanian Jews sailed for Israel aboard the Israel transport Galila under terms of an old agreement between the Israel Government and the Jewish Democratic Committee of Rumania. The remaining 4,948 Jews proceeded to the Jewish state on an individual basis after securing passports and exit visas from the Rumanian authorities and purchasing travel tickets on the Rumanian liner, Transylvania.
From February through October, only 1,360 Jews were able to go to Israel and of these about 40 percent were not Rumanian nationals. The majority of these immigrants were older persons and many of them were invalids. Only 15 percent of the 1,360 Jews who left Rumania during this nine-month period were between the ages of 19 and 45 while the remainder were over 45. There was actually no migration movement to Israel during all of October.
When immigration to Israel resumed in November of last year, it appeared that the Rumanian Government had eased up on the restrictions for certain would-be emigrants, particularly parents and children of Israel citizens. From Nov. 9-Dec. 24, a total of 3,588 Jews were able to leave for Israel.
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