The Soviet Jewish family which arrived here yesterday under the Attorney General’s “parole authority” is beginning the difficult task of adjusting to a new way of life. But even before they have a chance to find a permanent home or arrange for the two children’s education, they will fly to Washington tomorrow morning to meet their legal benefactor, Attorney General John Mitchell.
Simeon Feldman, 36, his 34-year-old wife, Emma, and their children, Dina, 10, and Igor, 7, were the first Soviet Jews to emigrate to the US under the special “parole authority.” They will be presented to Mitchell at the Justice Department by officials of the United Hias Service, the world-wide Jewish migration service which helped arrange the Feldmans’ emigration.
The Feldmans are living temporarily at the private single-story Bronx home of Feldman’s uncle, Charles Miller. Miller, a hotel owner, had provided the “visov,” (the request for emigration from relatives abroad) that is a prerequisite for obtaining a Soviet exit visa. Miller told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that he had not expected the Feldmans to arrive here for another few weeks and that he had not yet been able to arrange for an apartment for them.
Miller flew up from Miami Beach, Florida, where he and his wife have a winter apartment, to greet his relatives upon their arrival. He said they would remain in his home until they found a place to live, perhaps in the Pelham Parkway area where he lives. Miller also said he would temporarily aid them financially. “They have nothing,” he said, expressing concern over the prospects of finding a job for his nephew. Feldman had at one time worked as a locksmith and his last job in the Soviet Union was as a supervisor in a plant that makes costume jewelry.
Feldman and his wife speak Yiddish, but the children do not. Miller said he hopes to place the youngsters in a public school, but if that is not possible, he will explore the possibilities of having them attend a Hebrew day school.
CORRECTION
A story from Tel Aviv on Page 2 of yesterday’s Daily Bulletin reported that 6,000 new housing units in Israel will cost $10 million. The correct figure should have been $100 million.
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.
