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French Jewry Meets New Year Facing Problem of Aid to Refugees

October 2, 1962
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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Their numbers swelled by some 200,000 Jewish refugees from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, French Jewry soberly marked the Jewish New Year’s advent in the knowledge of the grave problems facing them in the coming year. Hundreds of temporary houses of worship were established to provide facilities for the thousands of newcomers. The famed Cirque d’Hiver in Paris was transformed into a synagogue for the weekend.

For many thousands of refugees, the New Year, traditionally a time of rejoicing, marked a period of personal difficulty and personal tragedy. Thousands of them still lack housing and are dependent on public and voluntary relief. The situation was described as particularly acute for the many Algerian Jewish children, uprooted from their homes and living in temporary shelters here and elsewhere in the country.

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