Representatives of the Canadian government and the government of the Province of Quebec hailed the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty and the leaders of both countries at a celebration of the treaty signing attended by some 800 persons at the Chevra Kadisha Bnei Jacob Synagogue here last night. Sonas, dances and prayer marked the event sponsored by the eastern districts of the Canadian Zionist Federation, Canadian Jewish Congress and B’nai B’rith.
Marc Lalonde, the federal Minister of Justice, brought greetings from the government in Ottawa. He told the gathering, “The whole of Canada participates in the joy of the people of Israel because of our old ties with that country.”
He noted that Premier Pierre Elliott Tradeau had telephoned his congratulations to Premier Menachen. Begin of Israel as soon as the treaty was signed in Washington on Monday and that the House of Commons unanimously adopted a resolution of praise for Begin and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. Lalonde expressed Canada’s hope that the security of Israel behind recognized borders will soon be a reality.
Bernard Landry, Minister of Trade for the Province of Quebec, spoke on behalf of Quebec’s Prime Minister Rene Levesque. “I am glad to bring you the greetings of the Quebec government for the peace you have achieved with your Egyptian neighbor in the Middle East, “he said. He added the Quebec Jewish community has striven so intensely for the creation of the State of Israel that the entire population of Quebec cannot but associate itself with your fulsome joy. But let us remember also, “he said, “the youth of the two countries (Israel and Egypt) who laid down their lives in four consecutive wars.”
Israel’s Consul General, Zvi Caspi, who spoke briefly in Hebrew remarked that it was appropriate that the peace treaty was concluded on the eve at the Passover holidays of remembrance of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.
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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.
