Italy Will Not Block Jewish Migration from Reich

The Italian Government will put no difficulties in the path of German Jews who wish to take advantage of the Nazi Government’s offer to permit them to emigrate to Italy with 30,000 marks, the Italian Consulate stated today.

The offer, made Wednesday by the German Government, permits Jews to emigrate to Italy with that sum provided they take it in the form of a Reichsbank check to be exchanged, at a 40 per cent loss, for lira credits held in Italian banks. By such an arrangement, the German Government stands to profit, since their lira credits are of small value, the lira selling at far below parity, and the Jews must pay for them on the gold standard basis.

At the annual meeting today of the Hilfsverein (relief association of Germany’s Jews), it was announced that a special representative of the organization will go to Rome to investigate the possibilities of German Jews migrating to Italy.

A report of the Central Organizations of Italian Jews, made public at the meeting, states that Italy can easily absorb several thousand German Jews with capital. It is expected, however, that only about 1,000, possessing an average capital of 20,000 marks, will go to Italy on account of the uncertainty of the war situation.

The prediction was made at the meeting that there will be a decline in the total of German Jews migrating to Palestine and a corresponding increase in the migration to other countries overseas. The prediction was based on the growing difficulties German Jews are having in converting merchandise into cash through the complicated terms of the Palestine-Germany transfer agreement Jewish migration to all countries, it was stated will triple in January.

Max Warburg, Hamburg banker, was elected president of the Hilfsverein.