THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 18, 1995 TAG: 9509140014
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
Regarding the report on refugees (news, Aug. 27): Many of us who are actively involved in the plight of refugees were concerned that Israel was not mentioned in noting ``The World's Most Hospitable Nations.'' In fact, the complete data indicate that Israel should be listed as No. 1 on such a list.
In raw numbers the acceptance of refugees by the State of Israel is remarkable. Since 1975, Israel has accepted into its small and narrow boundaries more than 750,000 refugees. As a country, Israel's population numbers only 5 million. Therefore, the ``ratio to population'' for Israel would be 1-to-7, far in excess of Sweden's purported top rank of 1-to-47. Again, in raw numbers, Israel is second only to the United States.
Israel does not regard Jewish immigrants as ``refugees'' and therefore declines to complete surveys from the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) World Refugee Survey. Nevertheless, the USCR report does not summarily exclude any reference to Israel. On the contrary, it attempts to respect Israel's ideological interpretation, while acknowledging the role of Israel in the acceptance of the refugees. It would have been similarly appropriate for The Virginian-Pilot data to include some reference to Israel, especially given that its efforts far exceed those of any other nation.
MARK L. GOLDSTEIN
Executive vice president
United Jewish Federation of Tidewater
Norfolk, Aug. 30, 1995 by CNB