British Govt. Urged to Secure Review of Sentences Imposed on Polish-jewish Soldiers

The British Government was urged today to intervene to secure a review of the sentences of one to three years imprisonment meted out over the week-end by a Polish court martial to about 30 Jewish soldiers who were charged with “deserting” from the Polish Army, because of anti-Semitism there and seeking to transfer to the British forces.

A resolution adopted by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which represents the bulk of English Jewry, expressed “deep concern” regarding the conditions in the Polish Army which culminated in the court martial proceedings and urged the British Government to consult with the Polish authorities so that “the findings of the court martial will be reviewed in light of the principles of the present struggle.”

Meanwhile, the Moscow radio today broadcast a sharp attack on the verdict of the Polish military court. The deputy president of the Polish National Committee in Moscow was quoted as declaring that while thousands of Poles in Poland are helping Jews, the reactionary officers still commanding Polish troops abroad are condemning Jewish soldiers.

Polish circles in London pointed out today that the sentences imposed by the court martial, which met in Scotland, are not final until confirmed by higher Polish military authorities. They said that an official statement regarding the court’s findings will be issued shortly. The severity of the sentences, they alleged, resulted from the accused soldiers’ refusal to return to the Polish forces.

RESENTMENT OF BRITISH JEWS REFLECTED AT MEETING OF DEPUTIES

Even before the court’s decision was announced, a delegation of 3,000 Jewish clothing workers had called on prime Minister Churchill yesterday, at his official residence 10 Downing Street, to protest the mistreatment of the Jews in the Polish Forces. They were unable to see the Prime Minister, but left a letter arguing the case of the Jewish soldiers.

The resolution adopted by the Board of Deputies followed a turbulent meeting attended by a record audience, which reflected the resentment which has been aroused in the Jewish community here by the court martial’s verdict. In addition to demanding reversal of the findings, the resolution asked that the British Government confer with the Poles in order to find a way of enabling Jewish soldiers to transfer to the British Army if they so desire. The situation created by the Polish military command is not consistent with the principles for which the war is being fought, it said.

Addressing the meeting of the Board, Prof. Selig Brodetsky, president, said that British Jews will not rest content until the rights of the Polish Jewish soldiers are fully safeguarded. He expressed doubts, in the light of the events of the past few years, that the Polish Government could guarantee that anti-Semitism would be wiped out among its troops, and demanded, consequently, that the Jews be allowed to transfer. Disclosing that a high Polish official had told him this week that the details concerning anti-Semitism were “exaggerated,” Prof. Brodetsky said that a large section of the British people would feel happier concerning the situation if at least neutral observers had been permitted to participate is the inquiries into anti-Jewish discrimination which the Polish Government announced it had made.

Brodetsky rejected the argument of some Polish circles that the entire question was an internal one, of concern only to the Poles. Anti-Semitism, he said, was not an internal question no matter where it occurred, and less so since the incidents took place in an Allied army on British soil.

Other speakers backed Brodetsky’s stand, and emphasized that the British Government must be held responsible for taking action to end the intolerable situation.