Israel granted new immigrant status to Leonid Friedmanowitz, a 27 year-old Russian fisherman who jumped ship in Japanese waters Aug. 19 and arrived here last Friday. Friedmanowitz, claiming to be the son of a Jewish mother, asked for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.
The sailor landed at Lod Airport on a regular commercial flight from the Far East and was taken into custody by the authorities for questioning. It was announced later that he had been granted asylum in Israel and received his new immigrant’s card yesterday. Friedmanowitz said he was a refrigeration engineer and that he has relatives in the Ukraine. He brought with him documents and some 3000 rubles in cash.
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