Murray I. Gurfein, president of United Hias Service, called upon the new Congress to give priority to bills which would eliminate over a five-year period the present immigration quota system based on the national origin of the applicants. He made this plea addressing the annual meeting of the worldwide Jewish migration agency’s Council of Organizations held at the Hotel Commodore. The meeting, which was attended by more than 1,000 delegates, marked the 80th anniversary of United Hias Service.
The proposed immigration legislation, Mr. Gurfein told the audience, would provide greater opportunities for Jewish migrants from Eastern Europe and other parts of the world to rejoin relatives in the United States. He stressed that the proposed bills were recommended by the late President Kennedy and supported by President Johnson and many members of both parties in the Congress.
James P. Rice, executive director of United Hias Service, reported that the agency’s “original estimates of the number of migrants we would assist in 1964 had to be revised upward from 5,800 to 8,800, since we have increased sharply our resettlement help to Jews from North Africa, while our aid to Jews from Eastern Europe has also risen significantly.”
In addition to migration aid, Mr. Rice said the agency will render other related services to 38,000 persons. “This means that this year over 51,000 men, women and children will request and receive important services from our agency,” Mr. Rice pointed out.
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.
