The Union of Jewish Communities of Italy has appealed to the Italian Government to issue stateless persons passports to Jewish refugees from Syria who now reside in Italy.
Some months ago Jewish refugees from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt applied to the Union for assistance when their countries of origin refused to renew their passports. The Union appealed to the Italian Foreign Ministry which instituted inquiries through its legations in the Arab states.
As a result of the Italian Government’s inquiries, Lebanon and Iraq agreed to renew the passports of their nationals. Egypt declared that it would consider each case separately, but Syria refused renewals on the grounds that any Jew who emigrated from Syria is a potential enemy of the state.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.