Rep. Leonard Farbstein, New York Democrat, conferred with State Department officials today to advance a plan to grant 1,000 student visas to Algerian Jewish refugee youth now living in France. He was accompanied by leaders of Agudas Israel of America, a national Jewish Orthodox organization which wants to sponsor the project.
Rep. Farbstein said the situation of the Algerian Jewish refugee families in France was “particularly desperate because the great majority of them have been resettled in small communities with no religious educational opportunities available to their children.” Agudas Israel has offered to arrange placement of such children in American Jewish religious schools throughout the United States to continue their Jewish education.
A second meeting was held later in the day between State Department officials and Agudas Israel representatives to work out details for sponsorship and processing of the visa applications. The visas were requested for use for persons from 12 to 18 years of age
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