Frank L. Kellogg, special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State on Refugee and Migration Affairs, said he was impressed by Israel’s absorption of Soviet Jewish immigrants. “The Jewish Agency and the Israel Government are doing what I consider a remarkable job,” Kellogg told newsmen here today.
The American official flew in last week from Vienna with a planeload of Soviet Jewish immigrants. He is inspecting arrival and absorption procedures, absorption and Ulpian centers, immigrant hostels, and meeting with top government and Jewish Agency officials, to determine how U.S. allocations for refugee absorption can best be applied. Kellogg said he fully appreciated that the Jewish Agency works closely with Israel Government ministries in providing housing, health, education, and employment for the Russian arrivals – and this was perfectly acceptable to the U.S.
Kellogg termed the absorption of Soviet Jewish immigrants “efficient, effective, economic and, most important of all, compassionate.” He said he was especially moved by the obviously enthusiastic welcome accorded Soviet arrivals at Lod Airport. Kellogg would not give an estimate of this year’s Soviet emigration figures but noted that there had been no indication of a slackening of the exit flow.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
