Several Jews were appointed ministers today in the new government headed by Laurent Fabius, who is himself of Jewish origin.
Jack Lang, the outgoing Minister for Cultural Affairs, hasbeen reappointed to this post. A former university professor, Lang has started mapping plans for a Jewish museum in Paris.
Roger Gerard Schwartzenberg, one of a handful of non-Socialists in the new government, was reappointed Deputy Minister of Education in charge of university education.
Alain Calmat, a 37-year-old surgeon, was appointed Minister for Youth and Sports. He is a newcomer to the government. A former skating champion and all-round athlete, he won the world skating championship in a tournament in the United States, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1965 and was awarded the Legion of Honor for this feat. He had earlier won a silver medal at the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck.
All three are junior ministers without Cabinet rank. The only Jewish senior minister left in the government is Attorney General Robert Badinter. The only other Jew who had been a Cabinet member was former Transport Minister Charles Fitterman, a Communist.
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.
