Proposed Lithuanian Law to Cost Jews Their Livelihood

The Lithuanian government is contemplating the enactment of a law prohibiting all persons not Lithuanian nationals from engaging in any occupation that would net them a livelihood. Great anxiety prevails in Jewish circles because this proposed law will effect thousands of Jewish families in the country.

The Yiddishe Stimme points out that if the law is actually passed the Jews will be exposed to starvation or charity or else will have to throw themselves into the river. While the government measure to restrict work to citizens only may be justified in view of the acute economic crisis, it is pointed out that most of the Jews who are not citizens have been living in Lithuania for decades. Some of them even possessed Lithuanian citizenship at one time but they lost it because of technicalities since most of them have no proof of their residence, the various foreign occupations during the war having destroyed official documents.