More than 60 percent of immigrants during the current year went to development areas, collectives and other agricultural settlements, Aaron Zisling, head of the Jewish Agency’s absorption department reported here today to the Agency executive.
He said that some 55 percent of this year’s arrivals were in the 14 to 30 year age bracket and some 20 percent were over 55. These age data represent a substantial improvement in terms of labor potential as compared with immigrants in recent years, he explained; Immigrants since 1956 have included more than 6,000 academicians.
Moshe Sharett, chairman of the Jewish Agency executive, told the session that on the basis of available information, immigration was likely to be on the increase for a long time; Executive members also were told that all available housing for newcomers had already been allocated and that immigrants arriving during January will constitute a problem for absorption authorities.
S. Z. Shragai, head of the Agency’s immigration department, told the executive about a program to transfer projects to Israel complete with personnel and equipment. He cited negotiations to bring to Israel an optical instruments plant together with its 100 workers, as well as a diamond-polishing enterprise from the United States with 100 employes. He said 20 families of the latter group had already arrived and its wage-earners were waiting for construction of a new plant at Kiryat Zanz.
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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.
