A distinguished assembly of Brazilian officialdom and of diplomats from many countries attended a Sao Paulo state reception here last night for President and Mrs. Zalman Shazar of Israel.
Led by Sao Paulo Governor Laudo Natel and Israeli Ambassador Yosef Nahmias, many distinguished guests were presented to Israel’s President and First Lady. Among them were members of a special reception committee of the Brazilian Congress, as well as officials of the Sao Paulo Jewish community and the Zionist Federation, The presence of Cardinal Angello Rossi, Archbishop of Sao Paulo, was a matter of interest, since the Vatican has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
The President and Mrs. Shazar appeared to have been able to rest from visible fatigue and hoarseness of voice evident during a national broadcast of a formal dinner given by President Castelo Branco in Brasilia earlier this week. Mr. Shazar was presented with a document denoting he had been made an honorary citizen of Sao Paulo, More than 400 couples were presented to Mr. and Mrs. Shazar after the banquet.
Upon their arrival in Sao Paulo yesterday afternoon, the President and his party were greeted at the airport by Governor Natel and by Mayor Faria Lima of Sao Paulo. The two officials were accompanied by the leading military and civil authorities. An Air Force detachment presented a review and an Air Force band played the national anthems of Brazil and Israel.
Later Israeli Ambassador Yosef Nahmias presented to President Shazar a group of leaders of the Sao Paulo Jewish community. A group of school children waving flags of Brazil and Israel and 1,000 adults were present at the airport to greet the visiting entourage while flags of the two countries fluttered in the breeze.
Strict security measures were instituted for the President’s visit with more than 8,000 security men deployed in the area. The picture of the President appeared in many store windows throughout Sao Paulo. The press, television and radio gave substantial coverage to the events.
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.
