The Jewish quarter of Paris now resembles a “dead city,” according to an eyewitness account given the Jewish Telegraphic Agency by a Frenchman who has just arrived here. The former residents have either fled to other parts of the city or to the rural districts to escape arrest, he said.
Describing a visit he made to the section of the city extending from the Hotel de Ville to the Place de la Republique, whose narrow streets formerly housed thousands Jewish homes and shops, the JTA informant said that he only met occasional passers-by and they were usually not Jewish. Most of the stores owned by Jews are shut, he disclosed, while those that remain open are operated by “Aryans.” Jewish owned factories which manufactured peace-time needs are closed.
The Jews remaining in the neighborhood stay off the streets as much as possible, he added, leaving their homes only to go to work. The streets are constantly patrolled by German police and French gendarmes, Many of the apartments in which Jews formerly dwelt have been taken over by German officers, he revealed, although a large number are being guarded by friendly concierges who are protecting the property for the Jewish owners whom they hope will soon be enabled to return.
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.
