Israel Ships Soviets Tomatoes, Oranges as Thanks for Emigration
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MOSCOW — Soviet soldiers on Wednesday unloaded an emergency food shipment of Israeli watermelons, tomatoes and oranges that Israeli leaders say is a gesture of thanks for allowing thousands of Soviet Jews to emigrate.
Soviet troops shook hands with Israelis on the airport tarmac after 10 tons of produce was unloaded from an Israeli passenger plane.
The shipment, destined for a Moscow hospital, was organized by the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency, which helps settle Jewish immigrants in Israel.
The Boeing 767 of the national carrier, El Al, then returned to Tel Aviv via Bucharest, Romania, where it picked up another cargo of 250 Soviet Jewish immigrants bound for Israel.
A record number of 150,000 Jews from the Soviet Union have arrived in Israel this year.
“The food shipment is a gesture of gratitude to the Soviet government for permitting Jews to return to their homeland,” said Jewish Agency spokesman Yehuda Weinraub.
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