Immigration to Israel Through Year Ending March 31 Set at 21,679

Immigrants arriving in Israel during the year that ended March 31, 1968, numbered 21,679 of whom 10,538 or 44 percent were from Western countries, it was announced today by Leon Dolzin, head of the Jewish Agency’s Aliyah (immigration) department. Mr. Dolzin said that the figure included many professionals and 2,000 students already in Israel who decided to register as immigrants. He said the Jewish Agency expects 30,000 immigrants during the current year, from 12,000 to 14,000 of them from Western countries.

Dolzin also said that he favor a proposal whereby the Agency would retain responsibility for the absorption of new immigrants during their first year of adjustment here, after which absorption activities would be taken over by the Government. He said that the initial stages of absorption could not be separated from immigration and therefore must be retained under Jewish Agency authority.

LABOR ZIONISTS BACK PROPOSAL TO CUT JEWISH AGENCY DEPARTMENTS

The Labor Zionist movement has endorsed plans to reorganize the Jewish Agency including the reduction of its departments from 16 to nine. The Labor Zionist Bureau, at a meeting here last night, also decided to discuss the future of the Absorption Department which, it has been proposed, should be transferred to the Israel Government. The Bureau will nominate candidates to represent the Labor Zionist Organization on the Jewish Agency Executive. According to Itzhak Korn, world secretary of the LZO, the re-organized Jewish Agency would consist of a Finance, Immigration and Absorption, Youth and Halutz, Education, Religious Education, Organization and Information, Settlement, Youth Aliyah, and the Keren Hayesod departments. The latter is the fund-raising arm of the World Zionist Organization. Mr. Korn reported that he and other Zionist leaders favored asking Dr. Nahum Goldmann to reconsider his decision not to be a candidate for another term as president of the World Zionist Organization. A majority of the Bureau delegates rejected an approach to Dr. Goldmann, at least for the time being.