Thousands of Jews from Kurdistan, Afghanistan and Iraq are crossing into Iran to seek immediate safety there and eventual transportation to Israel, in addition to the many Iranian Jews who are converging on Teheran which is becoming a base for migration to the Jewish state, it was reported here today by Stanley Abramovitch, Joint Distribution Committee director for Iran.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Abramovitch, who arrived this week from Teheran, said that he left the Persian capital hurriedly to consult with officers of the J.D.C. and of the United Jewish Appeal, following receipt of evidence that Jews throughout Iran and neighboring countries were preparing to trek to Teheran in about a month when the spring thaw will have cleared the roads of snow.
“American Jews must act swiftly in support of the United Jewish Appeal’s campaign to forestall a major disaster certain to result from the massing of refugees in Teheran,” he declared. He reported that at the present time close to 5,000 Kurdish, Iraqi, Afghanistani and Iranian Jews are quartered in synagogues and in makeshift camps in Teheran’s two Jewish cemeteries. He warned that any sharp upward rise in this refugee population would bring a breakdown of relief facilities.
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.
