Gaynor I. Jacobson, executive vice-president of HIAS, announced that 4,697 Soviet Jews were resettled in the west during the first six months of 1977. Of this number, 89 percent were helped to new homes in the United States.
Of the 4,697 Soviet Jews assisted to the west during the first half of this year, 4,164 arrived in the U.S.; 194 (4 percent) were resettled in Canada with the aid of the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services; 237 (5 percent) in Australia; 92 to Western Europe; and 10 to Latin America.
Soviet Jewish arrivals to the U.S. came from 11 of the 15 Soviet republics. The dominant number–over 2,900 persons (70 percent of the total)–continues to come from the Ukrainian SSR, followed by the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (20 percent). Those from the other nine republics constituted 10 percent of the total.
During the same six months of 1976, HIAS assisted 3,905 Soviet Jewish refugees to the West, 20 percent less than this year’s total, Jacobson reported. Soviet Jews resettled in the U.S. by HIAS found new homes in 97 Jewish communities in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Forty-five percent remained in the Greater New York area where they were assisted in their resettlement by the New York Association for New Americans.
RESETTLED IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES
The 55 percent resettled outside of New York went to such diverse communities as Tacoma, Washington; Waco, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Hazleton, Pennsylvania; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa as well as major cities including Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles. Over 150 American Jewish communities are now participating in HIAS’ Soviet Jewish resettlement program, according to Jacobson. Forty-five percent of the Soviet Jewish labor force to arrive in the U.S. during the first six months of this year is highly-trained and/or university educated. They include 599 professionals, 331 engineers, and 192 technicians.
In addition to Soviet Jewish refugees, HIAS remained active helping migrants in other parts of the world as well. One hundred and forty-nine emigrants were assisted to leave Asia and Africa and 41 were resettled from Latin America. HIAS also assisted 3 Indochinese in their resettlement in the U.S.
Forty-three Moroccan immigrants found new homes in Canada with aid from HIAS and 36 Tunisians were resettled in Western Europe. HIAS aided 16 refugees from Lebanon to new homes in Latin America and 50 Rumanians were aided to emigrate to the U.S. Jacobson said that HIAS expects to resettle more than 6,000 Soviet Jews in the U.S. by the end of this year. Another 1,000 will find new homes in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and Western Europe.
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