Anti-Semitism in Germany and Austria is on the increase despite the firm policy of the American Military Government, Joint Distribution Committee officials from those two countries reported to the all-Europe conference of J.D.C. directors now taking place here.
Samuel Hallob, director in the British zone of Germany, sharply criticized the British occupation authorities for their apathetic attitude toward anti-Jewish I incidents in that area. He pointed out, however, that “in view of the situation in Palestine, British troops are behaving admirably” toward the Jews.
Louie Horowitz, director of the J.D.C. program in Italy, declared that although the Italian Government and the Italian people are sympathetic to the plight I of the refugees in that country, they would nonetheless like to see them leave Italy because of the unemployment problem. All speakers at the conference agreed that the morale of Europe’s Jewish DP’s is at the lowest point since the end of the war.
Dr. William Haber, advisor on Jewish affairs to the U.S. Command in Europe, said that the United Nations decision to reconsider partition was a stunning blow to the Jewish DP’s. He emphasized that the new developments en Palestine should not I affect the emigration of the refugees to Palestine and other countries, adding that the United States must take the lead in the admission of displaced Jews.
Asserting that it is impossible for Jewish refugees in Germany to participate in the German economy, Dr. Haber insisted that they are safe for the moment only because of the presence of the U.S. Army. He disclosed that of 2,200 DP’s now imprisoned In German jails, only 105 are Jews.
M.W. Beckelman, J.D.C. deputy European director, emphasized the need for speed in solving the DP problem by emigration and also noted the growth of anti-Semitism in Germany. The J.D.C. and the International Refugee Organization, he stated, are preparing for the departure of the Jews from Europe through vocational retraining programs, conducted by the ORT. He also expressed concern over the delay in passing legislation for the admission of DP’s to the United States.
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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.
