Paul van Zeeland, Bolgian High Commissioner for Repatriation told a press conference today that all deportees who resided in Belgium before May 10, 1940 will be repatriated as soon as possible.
Non-Belgian Jewish deportees, he said, are divided into two categories. Those who possessed permits which allowed them to reside in Belgium for two years will be readmitted, although the security department reserves the right to examine each case individually. Deportees who held only six-months residence permits will not be readmitted.
Jewish organizations have appealed to Mr. van Zeeland to authorize the adrission of deportees and refugees as soon as possible, and defer examiation of their cases until after their return.
Some Jews have already returned, of 300 persons repatriated from a refugee camp in Switzerland this week, there were 186 Jews. Five Jews were among 29 prisoners and deportees liberated by the Red Army who have arrived in Brussels via Odessa and Marseille.
Two Polish Jewish women from Kielce, Rahel and Gela Baser, sisters, who worked at forced laber in Germany under false names, arrived here this week. They confirmed the reports of anti-Jewish atrocities in Poland by both the Germens and Polish bands. Their parents were killed by a Polish terrorist gang.
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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.