The North African Immigrants Association today appealed to President Eisenhower to use his good offices with King Muhammed V of Morocco to make it possible for Moroccan Jews to join their relatives in Israel. The King of Morocco is due to arrive in Washington tomorrow.
Leaders of the association said at a press conference that at least 90,000 Jews in Morocco wanted to join blood relatives in Israel, an estimate based on a preliminary survey of the 110,000 Moroccan Jews who have arrived in Israel since statehood.
The Association claimed that the stoppage of emigration from Morocco contradicted the Moroccan pledge to adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The delegates also protested against the arrest of 1,200 Jews who had been trying to leave for Israel. They protested also “individual pressure” by Moroccan authorities on some Jews to issue “statements” against emigration to Israel.
The Association stressed that the request to President Eisenhower, who will be host for a state visit by King Muhammed starting tomorrow, was based solely on humanitarian grounds to end the tragedy of separated families.
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.
