A total of 1,146 Jews left the Soviet Union in May, the National Conference on Soviet Jewry reported Wednesday.
Of that total, only 87 proceeded to Israel.
May’s figures are the highest monthly total since April 1981, when 1,155 Jews left. At that time, 153 went to Israel.
The number of Jews who left the Soviet Union so far this year totals 4,672, of which 613 went to Israel.
Not only are Jews leaving in substantial numbers. The Soviets are permitting even larger numbers of Armenians to leave. Total Armenian emigration figures for the year are 5,305, of whom 1,501 left in May, according to the Geneva-based Intergovernmental Committee for Migration.
(Geneva correspondent Tamar Levy contributed to this report.)
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