In interesting contrast to the newest Negev residents who are now settling into their new caravan homes (see our story Zionism in the Negev ), the last caravan site for new immigrants - Hatzrot Yassaf, between Akko (Acre) and Nahariya in the north - was closed today. It was the first home for thousands of new immigrants since its inception in the mid 1980's, with hundreds arriving and leaving each month.
At its height, in 1993, 3,800 immigrants lived in Hatzrot Yassaf, including 3,000 from Ethiopia and the rest from the former Soviet Union. Absorption Minister Tzippy Livny said today, "Usually we celebrate the opening of something, not the closing - but today is truly a happy day, in that it marks the end of a chapter in which new immigrants are temporarily housed in caravans."
At its height, in 1993, 3,800 immigrants lived in Hatzrot Yassaf, including 3,000 from Ethiopia and the rest from the former Soviet Union. Absorption Minister Tzippy Livny said today, "Usually we celebrate the opening of something, not the closing - but today is truly a happy day, in that it marks the end of a chapter in which new immigrants are temporarily housed in caravans."