The circumstances under which the first 320 Jews were permitted to leave Hungary for Switzerland are described today in the Swiss press following the arrival of the group in Basle.
The Jewish refugees left Hungary about two weeks ago, travelling all the time in cattle-cars. Some of them died en route. Others had to be carried out from the train on stretchers when they reached Basle.
“The sight of these victims of cruelty and terror could not fail to make all who saw it think,” writes the Swiss paper Arbeiterseitung. ” The refugees presented a pitiful picture. What they had gone throughout could be seen not only from their shabby and crumpled clothing, but from the sufferings written on every face. Many were obviously so numb from misfortune that they could not realize what it meant to be on neutral soil at last. They remained apathetic and refrained from any expression of joy. Most of them were exhausted through undernourishment.”
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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.
