September' 7th, 1929.
The Situation of the Jews in 2urope
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in Face of War Activities.
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6-3 K K A H
There seems to be no confirmation that the Kanis have taken a more favorable attitude toward the Jews in Germany, - perhaps for the foment they ate less
brutal.
It is quite clear that Germany will make use of all the help the Jews
can give; they may draft thea for war service, they will surely draft the doctors.
The same is true of Vienna.
In Germany as well as in Vienna, the Jews have been left without leaders.
Dr. Loewenhers was in Paris for the conference with the JDC and the Hicera and
remained outside the Heich. The most prominent German Jews who were at Geneva// '•'-'
like Dr. Otto Eirsch, Dr. JSeligsohn and Sppstein did not go back to Germany, but
remained in Switzerland.
Only one Zionist, Lichtenstein, went back to Germany.
As far as the Jews of Bohemia and Moravia are concerned, there will be
little possibility to do anything for thea from the outside, and nothing can be
done in Slovakia where the suffering of the Jews is reported to be terrible.
I have not been informed whether the representatives from Prague like Kaffka and
-—others have returned from Geaeva. ' ^ ^
P 0 L A 1ID
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The rapid advance of German troops in Poland has cut off the Jews in the
Polish Corridor, in (kraudenz, Bromberg, Konitz, Najjel, etc. But in the Corridor
there were not more than 15-18,000 Jews.
In Danzig about y,600.
In Silesia, the
Jewish population is not very dense, in Katowicze, Sosnowiec, Krolewska Huta, and
Biclsk, theremay have been about 45,000 Jews.
regime.
These 60,000 are now under Hitler's
with 56,000 Jews,
With the further advance of the German -troops to Krakow,/
ow,/ Csestochowa with
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25,000, Zielce with 13,'000
and 1/tffo-'''**'*jfSiih. 30,000, and with towns north of
Warsaw taken l i k e Plonsk, Putisk, and other smaller towns, with another 25,000,
there are about 210,000 under German m i l i t a r y occupation, with the exception of
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those who could flee. However, I do not think that more than 15-20TJ of the
population could flee.
With the evacuation of Warsaw and the smaller neighboring towns, about
400,000 Jews must be considered as refugees from those parts; 350,000 from Warsaw
itself and 50,000 from the neighboring towns.'
An even bitterer fate seems tb. threaten Lodz with its 202,000 Jews and
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the neighboring cities of Lask, Pabiance, Zgierz,;with another 40,000.
It is
difficult for these people to move on to Warsaw or the interior, and with Eielce
and Czestochowa taken, they cannot move south.
If Lodz is taken a large part
of the Jewish population will be under military occupation.
If the Germans
advance still further they will go through hundreds of Jewish towns where the
Jewish, population is anywhere from 35 to 60,4, especially if they advance from
Sast Prussia, to the Grodno, Bialystok, and Wilno districts.
6'JLL
Where these Jewish refugees will go, if they Cc^a-ol-be evacuated, it is
difficult to -orophesy.
The best would be if they went to the villages#f«f,
/although the peasants may not be very anti-Semitic, they would not have a very
friendly reception, and they could;'"be taken care of t
The non-Jewish population
tha.t goes to the villages would have a rather friendly reception, because it is
only since the World Kar that Polish industries have been created,, and allthe
industrial workers of the cities still have relatives or relations in the rural
districts.
Of the 3j5- million Jews, therefore, about 1 million are in very great
danger or in terrible distress,, quite apart from the threats and results of
aerial attacks and bombs.
With the Jews in Warsaw and Lodz unable to organize under these conditions,
it will be difficult to form a good committee for the time being, until we know
where the German advance will be halted.
carrying on any social, educational
Of course, there is no
possibility of
or vocational activity, and it is not likely
that the Gemiloth Chessed kassas and cooperatives will be able to function/?; ''" '
/The Jewish refugees or those evacuated will be in much greater need than the
rest of the population.
After all, 66-70$ of the population are peasants,, and
even if their farms are occupied, they will not only be allowed to plough, sow
and harvest, but will be forced to do so.
Polish soldiers may turn against the Jews.
relish soldiers turned against the Jews.
There is also fear that the retreating
We know too vellhow the victorious
I just recall the terrible pogroms in
w'ilno and Lemberg, and the smeller pogroms end riots ail over Folend, thn.t caused
the- ..licoion of Morgenth&u at the time.
Demoralized, retreating soldiers will
certainly act worse than victorious ones did.
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COTJHTHI3S
The refugees in the war countries willhave a very difficult time.
H is
often said they may enlist for military service, but it must be borne in mind
that most of the refugees in England and Prance consist of families, not young
men, with the exception of the Kitchener camp and others. But these latter may
acaxuvfc for about 4,000, many of whom are under military age.
large numbers of domestics in England.
Then there are the
In all, there are probably not more than
10;'.- in Prance and England who would be able to do military work.
Most of the young people went to the neutral countries, Belgium, Holland,
and Switzerland.
These countries willtake allprecautions that these refugees are
kept in camps, so that the igovernment cannot be accused of furnishing recruits
for the armies of Prance and England.
Almost allthe refugees in England and Prance may be interned for a time
and be released only after each individual case has been examined.
All countries are very anxious to evacuate all those who can be - to let
all emigrate who have a chance to do so.
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In Prance, all who have a possibility to
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avre, -^a Hochelle, St. Kazaire,
Bordeaux, Marseille, and the Jewish organizations have been asked to expedite
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their emigration.
v.*ill have every
In England it will be the same, and the neutral countries
desire to send out as many as they can.
Therefore, the Jewish committees will be asked to help in this emigration
and I think the Intergovernmental Committee, too, will do everything possible
to emigrate as many as can be admitted to the various overseas countries.