Ill little more than a decade of existence. Israel has demonstrated to the world that a people dedicated to freedom and human dignity can achieve great miracles of accomplishment through the democratic processes of cooperation. of free men working together for the common good. Just as in our great country we have grown and prospered because wave after wave of immigration has brought to our shores the best skills and talents of many cultures. so Israel. in her first 12 years. has welcomed more than a million immigrants from at least 70 countries throughout the world. When we realize that all of Israel is no larger than my own State of New Jersey. and that the arrival of these newcomers has more than doubled the population of Israel. we are filled with wonder. When we further realize that most of these immigrants were actually refugees from terror. oppression. and humiliation in the lands from which they fled. that they arrived. for the most part. without funds or skills. often ill and demoralized. we are most profoundly impressed with the transformation which Israel has wrought in only a short time. not only in a land. but in a people. Those who were denied aid or education in north Africa. eastern Europe and in many other lands from which they were forced to flee. have learned skills and professions in Israel. It is they who run the factories and industrial plants. who make the once barren soil flourish and yield rich harvests.
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immigration immigrants refugees