Israel Consulate Opens Doors in Moscow : Diplomacy: It marks a new phase in a warming relationship. It will smooth the way for thousands of emigrating Soviet Jews.

With the hoisting of the blue and white Star of David in the frigid Russian wind, Israeli diplomats officially opened their own consulate in the Soviet capital Thursday and announced themselves ready to handle the monumental numbers of Jews leaving for their biblical homeland.

Along with marking a new phase in the general warming of Soviet-Israeli relations, the opening of the consulate will help officials process the hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jewish emigrants crowding into Israel in the biggest immigration wave since the Jewish state was founded in 1948.

Consul General Arieh Levin told reporters and guests at the opening ceremony: “Now our main goal is immigration. Hundreds of thousands pass through our gates. The Jews are aware of the challenges involved in their absorption, but they also know it is in our power to overcome them.”

Spurred by economic woes, political strife and fears of growing anti-Semitism, 200,000 Soviet Jews emigrated to Israel last year. That number is expected to double in 1991.

The Soviet Union has not restored the full diplomatic ties with Israel that it broke during the 1967 Middle East War, but it has steadily increased contacts in recent months--to the ire of some Arab allies--and appears headed toward an exchange of ambassadors.

Last month, the Soviet Foreign Ministry quietly removed its main condition to restoring full relations: that Israel agree to a Middle East peace conference.

But Israel’s claims to occupied territories in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are still complicating arrangements to open direct flights between the Soviet Union and Israel.

Levin said the Soviet government will not allow direct flights for emigrants until Israel formally declares that the new arrivals will not be settled in the occupied territories. Israeli officials have said that Soviet immigrants are not directed to the occupied territories but are free to live where they wish; less than 1% do settle there, according to Israeli figures.

But weekly flights between the two countries by the Israeli airline, El Al, will begin for tourists and businessmen by the end of this month, Levin added.

Currently, emigrants fly to Israel mainly via East European capitals.

Although Levin’s mission is technically only consular, he said there is a “gentleman’s agreement” that it will handle diplomatic work as well, representing Israel in high-level contacts with Soviet officials.

The Israeli Consulate, located in the same squat, beige building occupied by the Israeli Embassy before 1967, will begin issuing visas today, Levin said.

In recent years, the Dutch Embassy had housed the Israeli consular mission and helped handle much of its business.

“We have 1,500 people outside the gates every day of the week,” Levin said.

With the consulate’s new status, it will be able to expand its staff from six officials to 30.

Levin said would-be emigrants are aware of the difficulties they are likely to encounter in Israel as the country of 4.7 million struggles to absorb them. The housing crisis is expected to worsen, and unemployment is rising fast.

“We’re not hiding the facts from them,” Levin said. “They know Israel is not a country living in peace.”