The Jewish Agency for Israel will open a permanent office in Bombay following the establishment of full diplomatic ties between Israel and India, Uri Gordon, chairman of the agency’s Immigration Department, has announced.
Meeting with representatives of the Indian Immigrants Association, Gordon said that over the years, the Jewish Agency has been operating an ad hoc office in Bombay. Aliyah emissaries had also occasionally been sent for periods of between one and three months to India to encourage immigration to Israel.
India’s Jewish population is now estimated at 6,000. Some 4,500 alone live in Bombay, with the remainder scattered in various towns nearby.
The Indian government has placed no restrictions on Jewish emigration. But many Jews are prosperous and have little interest in leaving, despite recent unrest in India.
Nonetheless, 125 Indian Jews emigrated last year and several groups visited Israel to explore the possibility of aliyah. Since the establishment of the state, more than 55,000 Indian Jews, mainly from Cochin, have made their homes in Israel.
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