Dr. Maimon Denies He Came to Paris to Contact Catholic Leaders

Israel Minister for Religion Dr. Judah L. Maimon denied at a press conference here today that he had come to Paris to contact Catholic leaders, and emphasized that he was in France at the present time solely to attend a worldwide Rabbinical conference.

He described the condition of religious minorities in Israel and contrasted their situation with that of the Jewish minority in Iraq. Rabbi Maimon said the “tragic persecutions” in Iraq were likely to spread to other Moslem countries if they remained unchecked. He said talk at the Agudah parley here of a split in the Israel Religious Bloc could be heard only in this city, since “complete harmony exists both in the Audah and Mizrachi movements in Israel.”