Prime Minister Levi Eshkol expressed the belief last night that when the doors for emigration from Russia are opened, Russian Jews will be motivated to come to Israel by their desire to help build a Jewish society in Israel. He said he believed this, rather than emergency emigration or even flight from persecution, would be the reason.
The Premier spoke at the opening of the convention of the kibbutz movement of the Mapai party near Deganya. The Premier, himself a member of that kibbutz, suggested a new era for the collective movement based on industrial kibbutzim which might provide an adequate response and attraction for technologists and for Jews in other countries with a scientific and engineering education, as well as a means of increasing Israel’s productivity.
The Premier said he had no definite plan in mind for such industrialization but stressed that the idea should be given much thought. He also called for an all-out effort to imbue Jewish youth in other countries with an Israeli consciousness. The 360 delegates attending the four-day convention represent 79 collectives.
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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.
