Authorization Act of 1972 relating to Soviet ref-. ugee assistance. That act authorizes the. Secretary of State to furnish. on such terms and conditions as he deems appropriate. assistance to Israel to assist in the resettlement in Israel of Jewish or other refugees from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.-I wholeheartedly endorse the concept of furnishing assistance for these needy refugees. . In addition. the regular migration and refugee assistance operation provides funds for several programs which assist international refugees . and migrants. Some of these funds. out of a conference report authorization of $9.42 million. are used to support a variety of religious and ethnic groups engaged in refugee assistance. . There are some questions. however. with regard to the administration of these refugee aid programs. I recognize that a great deal of assistance must go directly to the Government of Israel for this very important purpose. but I query whether the law is not indeed broad enough to aid those private institutions in Israel Which are helping that country to shoulder part of the burden of resettling these refugees in that tiny nation. There are many worthy educational institutions in Israel whose resources are being strained because of the influx of refugee children from the Soviet Union. For example. I have been recently informed that 50 percent of the students of the Beth Rivkah schools. near Tel Aviv. are from refugee families and that twofifths of these refugees are from the Soviet Union. Beth Rivkah is making a noble effort to help these children by not only providing for their education in the Hebrew and English language. but also by meeting their daily needs. Beth Rivkah expects to absorb at least another 175 students from the Soviet Union over the next 2 years. . Since our Foreign Relations Committee agreed that the resettlement assistance progam should be directed solely toward providing resettlement facilities for Soviet migrants. I wonder whether the manager of the conference report. Senator SPARKMAN. can tell me if the authorization language of the Foregn Relations Authorization Act is broad enough to encompass assistance to such institutions as the Beth Rivkah schools in Israel? Additionally. I am wondering whether the act would permit Beth Rivkahs. sponsoring religious group to receive aid under the regular migration and refugee assistance program?
Keywords matched
refugee migrants refugees