Dr. George Josephthal, director of the absorption department of the Jewish Agency, said on his arrival at Idlewild Airport from Israel today that at least 80,000 Iraqi Jews must be moved into Israel between April and December of this year, as a result of the recent decision of the Iraqi Parliament to permit the Jews to leave Iraq.
Dr. Josephthal, who will tour the United States on behalf of the United Jewish Appeal, explained that the Iraqi Government, in announcing that Jews will be permitted to emigrate freely, specified that this privilege would be extended only until the end of 1950. He estimated that 80,000 of the 120,000 Jews in Iraq desire to leave. They will have to be transported by air, he pointed out, since the rail lines run through Syria and Lebanon, which do not permit free passage of Jews.
Dr. Josephthal said that the movement, reception and absorption of the Iraqi Jews will cost $60,000,000. He stressed that this sum was required over and above the $209,000,000, which is the portion of the Jewish Agency’s 1950 budget which must be met by the United Jewish Appeal.
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