Gaynor-Jacobson, executive vice president of HIAS, reported that during 1979 the worldwide Jewish migration agency assisted 31,928 Soviet Jews of whom 28,791 decided to come to the United States. In his report Tuesday to the membership of HIAS, Jacobson said an additional 3137 were aided by HIAS last year in migrating to North and South America, Australia, and Europe. The 1979 total, he stated, shows a marked increase compared with the overall figure of 14,001 resettled in 1978.
Jacobson also stated that, in cooperation with the United States government, HIAS will re-settle 6000 Indochinese refugees in 1980. During 1979, HIAS was instrumental in assisting 3889 of these stateless wanderers in their search for new homes, he said.
Jacobson, looking to the future, said: “Many thousands of Jews are still living in areas of threat, peril and oppression. Therefore the mission of HIAS to assist in rescue, reunion of families, and resettlement must continue. We must push on in fulfilling our responsibilities on behalf of the organized American Jewish community in assisting Jews in peril throughout the world.”
Edwin Shapiro, president of HIAS, said “It is my strong conviction that, more and more, as time goes on, HIAS increases its posture as a strong and vital integrated member of the world community of charitable Jewish organizations. “The meeting passed resolutions urging the Soviet Union and Syria to allow emigration of Jews and expressing appreciation to all who made the HIAS program possible.
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