Israel Has Difficulty Coping With Migrants

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30172, 2 July 1963, Page 15

Israel Has Difficulty Coping With Migrants

(New Zealand Preet Association)

AUCKLAND, July 1. 1 Problems arising out of wholesale immigration were ’ worrying Israel, said Dr. : Morton Berman, who arrived 1 in Auckland from Sydney to- 1 night to conduct the annual i united Israel, appeal. | ‘There are a number of i countries where Jews are finding It very difficult to 1 survive economically, politi- ' cally and spiritually,” he said. : Social revolutions had taken 1 place which had destroyed the : Jewish middle class. Jews in Arab countries were forced to leave their homes 1 because they found it impossible to live among a people determined to destroy Israel, said Dr. Berman. This was the reason for the immigration of 80.000 men, women and children into Israel this year. The total number of immigrants since 1148 was 1,200,000. Two-Wards of the finance used for the rescue and re-

habilitartaon of oppremed Jews was provided by the people of Israel, and the other third by Jews in other countries, said Dr Berman. The money from Israel was collected by heavy taxation, by Government loans imposed on the people, and by voluntary fund raising. “Our hope is that Jews in free lands throughout the world will make an effort to reduce the amount Israel has to raise for immigration purposes,'’ he said. Israel cannot bear this major burden because she requires the use of her resosjrces to acquire a deterrent again® the threat of attack by tbe Arab States." Tn the light of Israel’s needs for defence, it was up to the Jews of New Zealand to play their part in taking care of th’ immigrants, said Dr. Berman. “I want to stress emphatically,” he said, “that Israel is not asking Jews anywhere to help her provide weapons of war.”