Premier Daniel Johnson of Quebec was quoted today as denouncing attempts by Quebec separatist leaders to compel the Jews of the province to declare themselves in favor of separatism. Mr. Johnson, in an article in the first edition of a new monthly magazine, Nouveau Monde, aimed at French-speaking Jewish readers, was asked to comment on reports that Quebec Jews were being warned that unless they came out for separatism, their property would be nationalized when the separatists came to power.
The premier expressed the hope that no one would be tempted to surrender to such “odius and infantile blackmail.” He said “there is too much wisdom and good sense in the Quebec population for them ever to place their confidence in radical or extremist movements.” Of about 125,000 Jews in Quebec, an estimated 20,000 are French-speaking, most of them from North Africa.
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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.
