A group of 116 Rumanian Jewish refugees stranded on a railroad bridge on the Austro-Hungarian border for four days without food or madical attention were moved to the restaurant of a railroad station at Loipersbach, nearby, Saturday evening, it was learned here today.
The men, women and children received their first hot meal in four days and a local doctor treated the sick. The transfer was carried out by Austrian border guards acting on orders from the Austrian Interior Ministry. Originally, the Jews had been forced across the border by Hungarian frontier police, and the Austrians, under orders of the local Soviet occupation authorities, refused to permit them to travel to Vienna.
Meanwhile, the Jews are virtual prisoners in the station, because neither the Austrian nor Hungarian police have received orders permitting the refugees to move. The Joint Distribution Committee is not permitted to send food or medicine to the group, because it does not operate in the Soviet zone of Austria. Two representatives of the Jewish Refugee Committee in Vienna, who were arrested several days ago when they attempted to move some of the refugees to this city, have been released. Before their arrest they had succeeded in transferring some 50 of the group to the Rothschild Hospital here.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
