The World - News from June 3, 1988

The Soviet Union has quietly inaugurated a policy of allowing Jews to leave the country for visits to relatives in Israel, Israeli officials said. About 1,400 Soviet Jews arrived in Israel for visits of one to three months between January and April, and about 400 Soviet nationals are currently in Israel on such visits, officials said. “It’s another sign of openness (toward Israel). We don’t really know the reasons, but we don’t investigate when good things happen,” a Foreign Ministry official said. “We’re just sorry that it’s one-way traffic and only a few dozen Israelis are allowed each year to visit relatives in the U.S.S.R.”