The government plans to establish a quota on the number of Soviet Jews admitted to the united Germany.
Consultations have been going on for several days involving Bonn officials, the governments of the West German federal states and representatives of the German Jewish community.
No quotas have been set so far. But according to informed sources, unified Germany is expected to absorb about 3,000 Soviet Jews over the next five years.
German unification becomes official Oct. 3.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble has confirmed that he asked the West German Embassy in Moscow for the time being not to process the applications of Soviet Jews seeking recognition as “ethnic Germans” so they may settle in Germany.
The Foreign Ministry said last week that Jewish visas are being processed only when the applicant can prove beyond doubt to be ethnic German or that he or she has close relatives living in Germany.
In all other cases, applications are not being accepted at this time, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
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.
