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Claim Troubles of Children Prompt Immigrants to Return

June 15, 1972
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An immigrant from the United States told an educators’ conference here last night that half of the immigrants who return to their countries of origin do so because of educational difficulties encountered by their children in Israel. More than 1000 high school inspectors and principals who attended the conference also heard Premier Golda Meir, Education Minister Yigal Allon and Natan Peled, the Absorption Minister. A father from the Soviet Union said many immigrants came to Israel because they want their children to grow up in a Jewish country.

Cases were cited of native school children “ganging up” against new child arrivals. Such reports came from many parts of Israel but those who reported such incidents insisted that they were isolated incidents and did not indicate any trend. The participants agreed that immigrant absorption must be included in the moral education of Israeli school children and presented as “a virtue.” Peled said hostile pupils must realize that aliya and absorption are not at the expense of the existing Israeli population but are paid for by world Jewry.

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