France Jails Denationalized Polish Jews

Hundreds of Polish Jews have been thrown into French jails because of the Polish government’s policy of cancelling passports of its Jewish nationals residing abroad, it was disclosed today when the federation of Polish Jews societies in France published an appeal for aid to the imprisoned. The appeal said the Jews, who were arrested for not having passports, were unable to comply with the French order to return to Poland since the Polish consulates in France had deprived them of their passports.

The mass cancellation of passports was conducted by the consulates on orders from Warsaw under which the documents, instead of being extended, were confiscated, thus converting their holders into "stateless" persons who could never be deported from their country of residence. in retaliation, the French authorities are refusing to renew residential permits of thousands of Polish Jews whose passports have not expired, thus forcing them to return to Poland while their passports are still valid. At the same time, those whose passports have been held by the Polish consulates are thrown into jail if they are unable to leave on receiving deportation orders. The exact number of those jailed is not ascertainable, but is estimated to total many hundreds.

The Polish consulate in Paris is being besieged by families of arrested Jews begging for the return of their passports so that they can go to Poland. Similarly, thousands whose passports must be renewed are pleading that they not be cancelled in order that the holders may avoid imprisonment. A few of them have received satisfactory treatment. The executive committee of the federation has appealed to the Polish consulate for an interview, but so far has not been granted one.

The newspaper Univers Israelite estimates that 70,000 Polish Jews reside in France. The French Government, which has always been liberal to them, has given indications that the present drastic policy results solely from the Polish Government’s tendency to convert them into "stateless," thus adding to France’s present large burden of "stateless" refugees.

A similar situation is developing in connection with the Hungarian Jews here. In recent days the Hungarian consulate is agreeing to prolong passports of Hungarian Jews only on condition that the holders sign pledges never to return to Hungary. According to Univers Israelite, 163,000 foreign Jews reside in France, including 25,000 refugees from Germany and 8,000 from Austria.