It was officially announced today that a reply to the United States demarche on application of Italy’s anti-Jewish laws to American citizens will be made in the near future.
About 4,000 Jewish families, or 20,000 persons, will benefit by exemptions from anti-Semitic decrees granted by the fascist grand Council for war service or service to the Fascist cause, it was understood today. All anti-Semitic discriminations, except segregation in schools, will not apply to these Jews, who otherwise will enjoy almost the same rights as Italians.
Italian political circles declared that the anti-Jewish measures decreed by the Fascist Council were not as drastic as Germany’s. The Council, it was asserted, even went so far as to state that international Jewry had not adopted an attitude of revenge. The new measures were made necessary by the need for protection of the Italian race throughout the empire, political circles said, pointing out that Jews continued to have the right to pensions and were permitted to practice professions.
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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.
