Emigration of Soviet Jews at 7-Year High
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GENEVA — Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union reached a seven-year high in April, with 1,077 allowed to leave, the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration announced Monday.
April marked the third straight month of rising emigration, bringing the total arriving in the Vienna transit center to 3,399 since Jan. 1, the committee said.
The 1988 total is four times the number for all of 1986 but far below 1979’s peak of 51,330 Soviet Jewish emigrants. The 1987 total was 8,011.
More than 250,000 Jews have found new homes since the program began in 1971. In the early years, most proceeded to Israel, but recently that ratio has declined.
Of the 1,077 who arrived in Vienna in April, only 162 or 15% decided to settle in Israel, spokeswoman Regina Boucault said. In March, that figure was 18%.
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