Tahar ben Ammar, new Premier of this French protectorate, declared today that it has long been is aim to bring about “rapprochement between Jews and Moslems in the Tunisian nation,” and that he would continue in that effort.
Premier ben Ammar declared it had been his intention to include a Jew in his cabinet. However, since that had proved impossible up to now, he added, he has “made certain” that a Jewish Tunisian would enter his administration “at the first opportunity, when a reshuffle or enlargement of the cabinet takes place.” There are about 80, 000 native Jews “of the Tunisian nation” here, in addition to 20, 000 French Jews.
The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the many messages of good will he received upon accession to office, and added: “The message that touched me most, however, was the one brought to me in person by Dr. M. L. Perlzweig, the director of the international affairs department of the World Jewish Congress, on behalf of his organization. They greeted me on this ‘historic mission’ to which I have been called. I know of no better appreciation possible for my efforts to bring about rapprochement between the Jews and the Moslems in our nation. “
(In Tel Aviv, meanwhile, several thousand immigrants from North African countries held an open-air mass meeting to demand the early rescue of all Jews from North Africa on a mass scale, and their transfer to Israel. The meeting was held under the auspices of a newly organized group calling itself the “North African New Immigrants Association. “)
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
