Latin America And Israel

Uruguayan aliyah is up. Some 550 Uruguayan Jews, most of them young, immigrated to Israel in the year 2002 - almost seven times the previous annual average. The reasons for the climb: the difficult economic situation in the country, and vigorous Zionist activity by local youth groups.

In other South American aliyah news, the Jewish Agency reports on a large-scale Israel Aliyah Fair underway in Buenos Aires. Thousands have attended so far, and the fair will continue this week in other Argentine cities, as well as Chile and Uruguay. Lines of prospective immigrants were reported to be hundreds of meters long. A delegation of 40 Israelis, including 20 businessmen in real estate and other enterprises, traveled at their own expense to inform prospective immigrants of housing and employment opportunities. Officials from the Absorption Ministry and from several Israeli cities and towns are also participating in the fair.

Israel's Independence Day was widely celebrated throughout Latin America, particularly in Argentina, where over 2,000 youths paraded through the streets of Buenos Aires and held an Israeli solidarity rally with thousands of other participants. Mexico, Panama, Venezuela and Uruguay held large-scale festivities as well.