Hias Reports It Helped over 3000 Jews Resettle in Us in ’71

The United Hias Service helped 3,174 Jewish immigrants and refugees resettle in the United States during 1971 according to the annual report of the Jewish immigrant aid agency released today by Gaynor I. Jacobson, its executive vice president. The report noted that the aid recipients came from countries of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and from Cuba and Chile.

Hias assisted more than 45,000 other Jews with various problems related to immigration and resettlement, the report said. These included helping persons reach countries of temporary asylum and assisting aliens in the US with naturalization or adjustment of status problems. Hias also aided in the prevention of deportation and jeopardy in various cases and in the location of relatives through its world-wide location service, the report said. It rendered resettlement assistance in Latin America to migrants who arrived in prior years; aided in documentation, counselling of relatives and migrants and intervened with government officials on behalf of prospective migrants and aided their relatives and sponsors.

The report noted that a significant development in 1971 was the resettlement by Hias of 265 Jews from the Soviet Union, double the number of the previous year. Of that number, 214 were helped to come to the US, 24 to Canada and the rest to other areas. Jacobson’s report said a further increase in the arrival of Soviet Jews in the US is expected owing to the favorable climate here toward the admission of Soviet Jews. Jacob-son said his organization remains alert to the situation of Soviet Jewry and is making every effort to assist requested family reunions in the US and other Western countries. He said Hias has a current caseload of 5000 persons in the USSR who wish to join relatives in the West. The agency has assisted 800 Iraqi Jews who left that country to join relatives in Western countries, he said.