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JEWISH AGENCY ALIYAH FAIR IN MARSEILLES SWAMPED 700 Files Opened Close to 4,500 prospective immigrants swamped an aliyah fair organized by the Jewish Agency in Marseilles last week, where they received first-hand information on aliyah from Jewish Agency personnel as well as mayors of cities eager to absorb the new immigrants and representatives of businesses with jobs to offer. Several times during the day police had to limit the access to the Espaces Ami-El auditorium, where the aliyah fair took place, for safety reasons. An expanded Jewish Agency team headed by Acting Delegation head to Western Europe, Moshe Almoznino, was on hand to provide the visitors with updated information regarding rights and benefits of new immigrants. Officials from Eilat, Kiryat Shemona and Beit Shemesh explained the advantages of living in their cities and the assistance they could receive in purchasing apartments. Representatives of the Hebrew University, Bar Ilan University and the Beersheba Technological College discussed higher education opportunities in Israel for new immigrants. MK Yair Peretz, the head of the Knesset Lobby for French Jewry, also attended. He was overwhelmed by queries regarding professional licensing procedures. The head of the Marseilles Jewish Community, Zvi Amar, and Israeli Ambassador to France Elie Barnavi, attended the event, which was broadcast live on Radio JM (the local Jewish radio station and Radio J affiliate). 700 people filled out personal questionnaires (the first step of the aliyah process) and 40 families requested to immigrate immediately. In response to the large number of people expressing interest in making aliyah, the Jewish Agency increased the number of its representatives in Marseilles. A growing number of French Jews has shown interest in immigrating to Israel in recent weeks. France is one of three countries that have been targeted for special benefits by the Jewish Agency, whose immigrants will qualify for increased benefits this year. The number of telephone inquiries at Jewish Agency offices has jumped to six times what they are ordinarily. Though an upsurge of anti-Semitic violence has erupted in France since the intifada (and once again during Israel's Defensive Shield) Chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive Sallai Meridor, who returned from a fact-finding trip in France, says that the fight against anti-Semitism and the fight for aliyah are two parallel efforts, which the Jewish Agency must make parallel. Three weeks ago, the Jewish Agency held an almost equally large aliyah fair in the Paris region, and on May 1, over 1,500 high school and university students came to a student fair in Paris to receive information on programs in Israel.
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