President Guillermo Endara of Panama pledged to 1,500 Panamanian Jews on Wednesday that he will not allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to open an office there.
News of the meeting was reported by David Bassan, chairman of the Panamanian Jewish community, through Seymour Reich, president of B’nai B’rith International. Reich returned Thursday from a three-day visit to Panama.
B’nai B’rith has been spearheading Jewish relief efforts in Panama and initially forwarded more than $1,000 to the community, said a B’nai B’rith official here.
At the meeting with Endara, the Panamanian Jews cheered the new government.
For his part, the Panamanian president praised the community for its contributions to Panama, whose estimated 5,000 Jews are said to own more than half of the South American country’s businesses.
Also taking part in the meeting was Vice President Guillermo Ford, who fondly recalled memories of his Jewish great-grandmother.
Vice President Ricardo Arias Calderon spoke of Panama’s deliverance from the Noriega dictatorship by referring to the Passover prayer, “Next year in Jerusalem.”
“For Panama,” he said, “it is this year in Jerusalem.”
URGENT NEED FOR ECONOMIC AID
Bassan reported that the government leaders hugged and kissed some of the Jews, who had responded to their statements with standing ovations.
During his visit, Reich met with Endara and the two vice presidents; U.S. Ambassador Dean Hinton; Israeli Ambassador Reuven Ben-Eliezer; Gen. Mark Cisneros, commander of the U.S. Army forces in Panama; and Col. Hassan Herrera, new commander of the Panama Public Force.
He also paid a courtesy call on the Vatican’s ambassador to Panama and the Panamanian archbishop.
Accompanying him on the trip were Daniel Mariaschin, B’nai B’rith director of international and public affairs, and Isaac Hochman of Caracas, Venezuela, president of B’nai B’rith District 23, which encompasses Central America.
Reich said that with unemployment potentially reaching as high as 40 percent as the result of recent looting, Panama needs economic assistance urgently.
In addition, “there is a need for reconciliation among all classes in Panamanian society,” he said.
“The Jewish community has received reassurances from the new government and has declared that it feels a responsibility to help rebuild Panama for the benefit of all citizens,” he reported.
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