About 120,000 Jews were deported from France during the German occupation and about 15,000 were murdered, it was reported by the four-man Jewish delegation from Paris which arrived in the United States on Monday. The delegation, which was to have arrived in time to attend the Emergency Conference of the World Jewish Congress last week, is composed of Capt. Guy Alphonse de Rothschild; Leon Meiss, president of the Central Jewish Consistory of France; Deputy Chief Rabbi Jacob Kaplan, and Joseph Fischer, secretary of the Representative Council of French Jewry.
“In 1943, the common suffering induced all the Jewish organizations to seek a basis of understanding in a united front,” the delegation told a press conference. “This is how the Conseil Representatif des Juifs de France (Representative Council of Jews of France) was born. It consists of the Central Consistory of Jews of France which is a union of all the cultural associations, the Alliance Israelite Francaise, the social working units, the Federation of Jewish Societies of France, the Communist party, the Poalei Zion, the Bundists, the Union of Jews for the Resistance and Mutual Help, the Zionist Organization of France and the Youth Groups.
“This,” the statement continued, “was the first unification of Jews of all origins and political views – natives and immigrants, religious and non-religious Zionists and non-Zionists. This harmony bears the seed which may result in close cooperation of Jews throughout the world. Numerous steps have already been taken by the CRIF and its contacts with the Governmental organizations and those of the Resistance are permanent and fruitful.”
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