The Anglo-American inquiry committee, which intends to issue an interim report within the next two weeks, may recommend that the current monthly quota of 1,500 Palestine immigration visas for Jewish refugees from Europe be substantially increased, it was indicated here today.
Other recommendations will include the immediate opening of American and British consular facilities in liberated sections of Europe to enable speedy issuance of visas, and the establishment of an “emergency status” for stateless people. The interim report will probably be issued by the committee from Vienna, where its members will reassemble on February 15.
Former Ambassador William Phillips and James G. MacDonald, U.S. members of the committee, who are now in Paris, held informal hearings today, during which they heard leaders of the Zionist movement in France. MacDonald also had an informal talk with laura Margolis, representative of the Joint Distribution Committee in Belgium, who reported that there are only 30,000 Jews in Belgium and that about 2,000 of them are in transit to other countries, the majority of them hoping to reach Palestine.
The American members were told by Marc Jarblum, president of the Zionist Federation of France, that 35,000 Jews are now on relief in Paris and other French cities. Refugees, he pointed out, are being tolerated, but their condition depends on the general situation in the country. Only 800 Jews in France have received Palestine visa since the liberation of the country. They included 500 children. The majority of the Jewish refugees in France want to emigrate to Palestine, Jarblum reported.
Other Zionist leaders who appeared, included Rabbi M. Capel, president of the Mizrachi organization in France; Joseph Freidman, leader of the Left Poale Zionists, Joseph Fischer, director of the Jewish National Fund for France; Dr. M. Massis, vice-president of the General Zionist Organization of France; and Zvi Levin, representative of the Histadruth. Pierre Nathan, Paris correspondent of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, acted as interpreter.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
