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PM ARIEL SHARON CALLS ON JAFI LEADERS: BRING JEWS OF ARGENTINA HOME TO ISRAEL Israeli government and Jewish agency launch special campaign to encourage aliyah from Argentina At the beginning of the week PM Ariel Sharon and JAFI Chair Sallai Meridor resolved to increase by $20,000 per ole family from Argentina, government assistance for the purchase of an apartment. Thirty per cent of this amount will be a grant. The Jewish Agency will also provide a grant of $2,500 per family so that they may get organized. Effective immediately, these benefits will be offered for a period of one year (2002), in addition to the current assistance package available to olim, in response to the deteriorating situation in Argentina and the difficulties that the members of the Jewish community are experiencing. In the course of next week, JAFI Chair Sallai Meridor and a delegation will set out for Buenos Aires to discuss the situation with community leaders and supervise preparations for bringing the Jews to Israel. At a special emergency meeting of the Jewish Agency chaired by JAFI Chair Sallai Meridor and government secretary Gideon Sa'ar, attended by senior representatives of the government ministries that deal with aliyah absorption it was agreed that JAFI Treasurer, Chaim Chesler would coordinate the Jewish Agency's emergency budget for aliyah and strengthening Jewish education in Argentina. PM Ariel Sharon is personally involved in the efforts to encourage the Jews of Argentina to make aliyah, and is himself supervising the coordination activity with Meridor. He called on JAFI leaders to spare no effort in bringing the Argentinean Jews to Israel. At another emergency meeting convened between JAFI leaders and municipal leaders today, it was agreed that the municipal leaders would personally encourage such aliyah, by going there to try to encourage Jews to come to Israel, absorb them and help them find housing and employment. Since the establishment of the State, 60,000 Jews have made aliyah from Argentina, of those, some 1,500 Jews made aliya in 2001 - 25% more than in the previous year. Argentina has a Jewish population of 200,000 and according to estimates prepared by Kito Hasson, head of the Jewish Agency delegation in Argentina, one quarter of the community has been severely affected by the crisis in the country.
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