Express Regret at Dissolution of Jewish Communities (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The disintegration of Jewish communal life in the smaller towns of Italy is watched with regret by King Victor Emmanuel. “I sign very unwillingly orders for the dissolution of the small Kehillahs in my country”, the King told Nahum Sokolow, chairman of the Zionist Executive in London whom he received in audience at the Royal Palace at San Rossore.
The dissolution of the small kehillahs is due to the migration of the Jewish population from the smaller towns to the cities.
The King praised the war record of Italian Jews stating that although the Jewish population of the country amounts to only 40,000 there were 11 Jewish generals in the Italian army. The King also spoke favorably of the achievements of Italian Jews in the colonies like Rhodes and Tripoli.
He expressed his sympathy with the Zionist movement and showed himself conversant with Jewish matters and the situation in Palestine. He recalled distinctly the visit of Theodor Herzl, he said.
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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.
