The American Jewish Committee, through its president, Judge Joseph M. Proskauer, today congratulated the French Committee of National Liberation for its restoration yesterday of the Cremieux Decree, giving the native Jews of Algeria full French citizenship.
Terming the act a “courageous rectification of an error and humane righting of a wrong,” the statement issued by Judge Proskauer also expressed the appreciation of the American Jewish Committee for the sympathetic attitude which the United States Government took on the issue, emphasizing that its attitude probably helped to bring about the restoration of the decree. The text of the declaration reads:
“My colleagues of the American Jewish Committee and I were greatly cheered by the report of the restoration in Algiers of the Cremieux Decree in 1870 which conferred the rights of French citizenship on the Jews of Algeria who had declared their willingness to accept the correlative duties of adherence to French law and social customs. Immediately after learning of the repeal of the Cremieux Decree, the American Jewish Committee filed protests with the State Department and took steps to enlighten public opinion in the United States regarding the significance of this action. The Committee also joined with other organizations in making representations to our government.
“We congratulate the French Committee of National Liberation on their courageous rectification of an error and humans righting of a wrong. We also express our grateful appreciation of the sympathetic position taken by the government of the United States, which we believe had much to do with this fine achievement. This action is a hopeful augury for the prompt restoration of democracy in all Nazi-occupied territories upon their liberation from the Hitler yoke.”
FULL TEXT OF FRENCH OFFICIAL STATEMENT RELEASED IN NEW YORK
The French Information Bureau in New York today released the full text of the official statement on the reaffirmation of the Cremieux Decree issued yesterday in Algiers by the Committee of National Liberation. The text reads:
“The Committee, examining the situation of Algerian Jews, noted in view of existing texts – on the one hand, the abrogation of all acts discriminating against Jews, on the other hand, abrogation of the Cremieux decree effectively subordinated to the definition of conditions of application which were not issued that the Cremieux decree is now in vigor. This declaration leaves the French authorities free to take definite decisions in the future regarding the status of Algerian Jews and of other categories of the Algerian population.”
Another cable received from Algiers by the French Information Bureau stress that Jewish officials who have been deprived of their posts as a result of the law of March 14, 1943 (the date Giraud abrogated the Decree) will be reinstated
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