Israelis Prepare for Flood of Immigrants From Soviet Union
The Israeli government told airport officials today to prepare all available planes for the immediate transport of Soviet Jews from eastern Europe as immigrants flooded in at a rate of about 3,000 a day.
“We have been urged by the minister of transport to make every possible aircraft available for this over the weekend and have obtained special permission to fly on the Sabbath (Saturday),” said Nachman Kleinman, spokesman for the airline El Al.
Immigration and airport workers said the rate of immigration has more than doubled in the last 24 hours.
More than 2,000 immigrants in 10 planes arrived between noon Thursday and early this morning while 15 other planes were expected later today and Saturday, bringing in 6,000 immigrants.
The shock resignation of Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze may lead to a further increase in the number of Jews going to Israel, fearing President Mikhail S. Gorbachev’s liberal emigration policies may be reversed, immigrants said.
Gurevich Gertsovich, 43, a librarian from Minsk, arrived with 15 relatives this morning. “We feel there is a danger that the authorities may close the doors to emigration. We have already learned that the longer you wait the worse it gets,” she said.
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