More than 90 percent of the Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union who arrived in Israel last year have founding housing and jobs, according to Louis A. Pincus, chairman of the World Zionist Organization Executive. Addressing the presidium of the Zionist Actions Committee here, Pincus said the forecast of 70,000 immigrants in 1972 seemed realistic on the basis of the number who have arrived during the first three months of the year. He said about half of the newcomers would be from Western countries.
Pincus warned, however, that an anti-immigration backlash that has developed in the country has had a bad affect on immigration generally and on Soviet immigration in particular. Soviet Jews are not indifferent to what goes on in Israel, Pincus said, referring to resentment among the settled population over certain privileges accorded new immigrants.
ISRAEL IS PREFERRED DESTINATION
Despite these developments, Israel continues to be the preferred destination of most Jews granted exit from the Soviet Union. Only 130 Soviet Jews have gone directly to the US, it was learned here, and only about 40 Jews who reached Vienna enroute to Israel changed their minds and went to the US instead, according to information reaching here. The US admits Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union under the Attorney General’s parole authority which waives quota restrictions.
A few Jewish emigre families from the USSR have gone to Canada or Australia from Vienna. Only one family that reached Israel left subsequently for the US and that was over a year ago. Yehuda Dominitz, deputy director general of the Jewish Agency’s Immigration Department, denied a report that several thousand Soviet Jews have gone to America. He did not mention the source of the report.
It was learned, meanwhile, that the first Jewish family from Soviet Georgia to pull out of Israel after living here a while, departed a few days ago. The couple, Mikhail and Zina Magloshvilli, said life here was too hard. Friends of theirs claimed the Magloshvillis were chronic complainers. Another Georgian Jew, Joseph Modjgarvrishvilli returned to the USSR two days ago leaving his wife and two infant children behind. His wife refused to return, reportedly telling him “I want my children to grow up in a free country.”
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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.
