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60,000 Jews Serving with French Forces

January 29, 1940
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The French League to Combat Anti-Semitism announced today, with permission of the military authorities, that at least 60,000 Jews were serving with the French forces.

At the same time, the Interior Ministry issued an announcement calling on stateless and political refugees to hold themselves in readiness for military service. These refugees, who include several thousand Jews, had volunteered in the first week of the war, but have not yet been called up.

Jews with the fighting forces, according to the League’s statement, include 30,000 French Jews serving on the front and 30,000 foreign Jews who have voluntarily joined the Foreign Legion and Polish and Czech Legions. They represent almost all the able-bodied Jews in France, outside of stateless and political refugees. The statement was accompanied by a list of Jews killed and wounded in action and those decorated for bravery.

Meanwhile, another battalion of several hundred Czech Jewish volunteers arrived here from Palestine to join the Czech Legion in France.

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