The central consistory of Paris has started a fund-raising campaign to send parcels of matzot to Soviet Jews for the Passover holidays. France’s Chief Rabbi Dr. Jacob Kaplan, called on the Parisian and provincial religious communities to participate in the campaign. He said this participation would “indicate their solidarity with the Soviet Jewish community and their concern that the community be allowed to celebrate Passover according to tradition.”
Meanwhile, Jewish prisoners in France will be able to receive Passover food parcels from their families through the offices of the prison chaplains, France’s director of prisons announced. Henri Le Corno said in a circular to his personnel that he would suspend the Nov. 12, 1971 regulation prohibiting prisoners from receiving food parcels from their families or visitors during the holidays. The regulations “were not supposed to hinder Jewish prisoners in the practice of their religion,” Le Corno explained.
The Jewish prisoners will also be able to receive supplies needed for the practice of their religion and will be able to buy Jewish foodstuffs–including lox–in the prison canteens. There are 350 to 400 Jewish prisoners in France, and 34 Jewish prison chaplains. A chaplain is permitted to perform religious services if he is requested to by a prisoner–even in those prisons where there is only one Jew in jail.
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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.
