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35,000 Jews Admitted to Australia Since End of War; More Sought

July 8, 1966
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An Australian Jewish leader reported here today that more than 35,000 Jewish men, women and children have resettled in Australia since the end of World War II, doubling the country’s Jewish population.

The report was made by Sydney Einfeld, a member of the Australian Parliament and president of the Federation of Australian Jewish Welfare Societies and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. In his report to the United Hias Service here, he said most of the Jewish newcomers to Australia had been aided by Hias. He added that they had “made a successful adjustment to Australia with the aid of the Federation of Australian Jewish Societies which provides temporary housing, jobs and financial support to help in their economic and social integration.”

The visiting Australian Jewish leader, who is a Labor Party member of Parliament, said that there are 70,000 Jews in Australia’s population of 12,000,000. Most of the Jews live in Sydney and Melbourne. There are 17 synagogues in Sydney and 22 in Melbourne. The largest Jewish day school in Melbourne has more than 1,300 students.

Noting that Australia continues to encourage immigration, he said that the Immigration Ministry had recently stated that the Government would continue to support the Jewish settlement program. He said that Australian Jewry wanted very much to receive Jewish newcomers.

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