Israel created a government committee to plan for a possible sharp increase in immigrants from Russia. In light of the economic crisis ravaging Russia, Yuli Edelstein, Israel’s minister of absorption, presented tentative plans that take into account a potential immigrant increase of at least 10 to 20 percent. Before the current crisis, Israel expected between 50,000 and 60,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union this year. Israeli officials in Russia say there has been a flurry of inquiries in recent days about immigration visas.
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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.