An official decree abolishing more than sixty anti-Jewish regulations issued by the Vichy regime will be published this week by Gen. Giraud as a result of his announcement on Sunday that the racial laws proclaimed by the French Government under Nazi pressure are no longer considered valid.
Interested Jewish organizations here are disappointed at Gen. Giraud’s announcement coupling nullification of the Vichy anti-Jewish laws with abrogation of the Cremieux law of 1870, which gave full French citizenship to the Jews of Algeria. Jewish leaders here are awaiting the text of Giraud’s official decree invalidating Vichy’s anti-Jewish legislation.
The first Vichy order repealing the legal equality of the Jews in France, which they had enjoyed since the French Revolution, was issued on October 3, 1940. Since then numerous orders have been issued eliminating Jews from various fields of social and economic life, including the decree of October 7, 1940, which abrogated the Cremieux law. All these orders are expected to be annuled by Giraud at the same time that he formally cancels the Cremieux law in the name of his administration.
SUMMARY OF ANTI-JEWISH LAWS ISSUED BY VICHY
A summary of the anti-Jewish laws issued by the Vichy regime shows that Jews have been barred from all public offices, the civil service and the Army. They have also been eliminated from banking, stock brokerage firms, advertising agencies, real estate agencies, the moving picture industry, radio and theatrical industries and every branch of newspaper work.
A numerous clauses was introduced by the Vichy administration for Jewish students restricting their number to three percent of the total student body. Similarly, only two percent of the doctors and lawyers allowed to practice could be Jewish. All Jews were forced to register their possessions and the most important Jewish-owned factories and enterprises were placed under “Aryan” administration. All these anti-Jewish measures applied to France as well as to her empire.
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