The concern of the Israeli public with the removal of two Jewish children from France by Catholic priests who had been ordered to turn the children over to an aunt in Israel, was expressed today in letters sent two non-governmental, international organizations concerned with child welfare by Moshe Kol, director of the Youth Aliyah movement in Israel.
Mr. Kol’s letters, addressed to the Federation International des Communities d’enfants and the Union International pour la Protection de l’enfance, asked the groups to use their influence to help return the Jewish war orphans to their legal guardian.
The children, Robert and Gerald Finaly. were left at an orphanage in France by their parents who were subsequently murdered by the Nazis. Recently, during the court battle to recover the children, the Catholic authorities of the institution baptized the children and, when the court decided against them, took the children to Spain.
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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.