Soviet Jewish Families Balk at Housing Accommodations

Large numbers of Soviet Jewish immigrants continued to arrive in Israel today and problems with some of them persisted. Several families that landed at Lydda Airport this morning refused to accept the housing offered them and went to live temporarily with relatives. A family from Soviet Georgia created a commotion at the office of Absorption Minister Natan Peled here yesterday and was evicted by police.

One Immigrant ripped off his shirt and threatened to kill himself after the family was denied housing in a central locality. They had earlier refused to accept apartments in outlying regions where other Georgian families have been quartered.

The Absorption Ministry announced today that it was increasing from $1,190 to $1,900 the grants paid Israeli families for providing room and board for a single immigrant relative until he can make his own way. Families that accept an entire family of relations from abroad will receive a $2,900 grant.

Premier Golda Meir said last night that the Arab threat of war against Israel might end if another million Jews came to the country. She told 250 delegates attending the opening session of the fourth congress of the World Hebrew Union here that a larger Jewish population would convince the Arabs that war does not pay.

The Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel announced today that it planned to launch an educational campaign to create a dialogue between immigrants and the public at large. The intention, they said, was to counter sentiment that the increased immigration since the 1967 Six-Day War was “accomplished at the expense of veteran settlers and the Sabras.” The Association stressed that immigrants want to be considered partners, not observers or mere objects of concern in the complicated process of absorption.