The leader of North African Jews in Israel has demanded increased representation for that group in the Jewish Agency and the various political parties. Shaul Ben Simhon, chairman of the executive committee of the World Movement of North African Jewry, said recognition should be based on their numerical weight and on their dedication to Zionism.
Addressing the first meeting of the executive committee here, Ben Simbon accused the local news media of spreading false reports that some North African Jews have left Israel to return to Morocco. He said the fact is that not a single Jew has gone to Morocco. Defense Minister Shimon Peres, a guest speaker, called on North African Jewry in Israel to assume responsibility for aliya has declined but “our belief in the idea has not,” he said.
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