30 REPATRIATES GO TO ISRAEL FROM ARMENIA EACH YEAR

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22. ARMINFO. The outflow of Jewish repatriates from
Armenia to Israel has decreased in the last years, says the head of
the Jewish community of Armenia Rimma Varzhapetyan.

If earlier an average of 100 Jewish repatriates left Armenia each year
(except for the 90s when the outflow was at its peak) now this figure
is 30 people a year. 5 families are getting ready for repatriation
now. 800-1,000 people having repatriation right live in Armenia at
present but not all of them are ethnic Jews. Varzhapetyan explains
that repatriation right is given to people who are Jews in the fourth
paternal generation and in all maternal generations. There are also
special educational programs for schoolchildren and students.

Commenting on the decision of Sohnut to slash 1/3 of the budgets of
its CIS offices because of sharp decline in repatriation from the
former USSR Varzhapetyan says that this decision will hardly concern
Armenia. The question is about big offices.

To remind, over 200,000 Jewish repatriates went to Israel from the
former Soviet Union in the 90s against only 11,000 ones in 2004.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress