A General Committee for Polish Jewry embracing all parties and aimed at securing “full religious civil, and national Jewish rights in resurrected Poland” was formed here today. The General Committee has established contact with the Polish Government-in-exile at London.
On Sept. 16 a census of Jewish property, real and personal, movable as well as immovable, was completed. This action left Jews in a quandary, wondering whether their property would be confiscated by the State or transferred to Gentiles.
Meanwhile, Jews living in the better residential districts of Bratislava began receiving orders to vacate their homes in order to make way for Gentile tenants, many of whom were German nationals, arriving in Slovakia in increasing numbers.
Rumors began to circulate that before long Bratislava’s 14,000 Jews would be required to vacate the capital altogether and move into a reservation on the outskirts of the city. During the same period, Jews were ordered to dismiss all non-Jewish woman servants under 40 years of age.
In order to find employment for the hundreds of servants thus deprived of jobs the authorities sought to compel Gentile householders with incomes exceeding 3,000 crown yearly to employ one extra servant and those with incomes exceeding 5,000 crowns two ex servants. This correspondent’s informant said this plan was not proceeding favorably when he left the Slovak capital. In fact, authorities met with such difficulties in fining new jobs for the servants that they sent 100 to a Jewish public kitchen and install them on straw mattresses on the first floor of the building. When the directors of the kitchen protested against being asked to feed the servants, an official replied that if necessary the whole building would be confiscated.
All Jewish businesses in Slovakia are rapidly being “Aryanized.” In order to prevent a record being taken of the tactics used to carry out this plan the authorities issued a decree prohibiting Jews from employing lawyers or notaries in connection with property transfers and executive replacements.
Every Jewish shop and business now is required to display a sign proclaiming its Jewish ownership. Window broken during recent riots remain unrepaired and the shelves of the shops are mostly bare. This is due to the fact that the Jews are so pessimistic regarding the future that they are unwilling to spend money on repairs or a replenishment of their stocks.
The majority of the Gentiles appeared unsympathetic to the anti-Jewish measures the informant said. Various Gentile officials with whom he spoke expressed sheme but confessed they were powerless to prevent the mulcting of the Jewish population in the fact of increasing German pressure. More and more German signs and announcements are appearing on Bratislava buildings and the number of German officials in ministries and government bureaus is mounting steadily, it was said.
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.
