Moses A. Leavitt, Secretary of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, returned yesterday to New York from Mexico City after discussing the establishment of a “free port” for Jewish refugees from Europe with officials of the Mexican government and leaders of the Jewish community of Mexico.
Mr. Leavitt was much encouraged by the attitude of the Mexican officials. “Mexico is deeply sympathetic with the tragic plight of Jews in occupied Europe, as evidenced by its desire to establish a “free port,” he stated. He praised Mexico for its “humanitarian spirit” and pointed out that “it has become traditional with Mexico to offer asylum and refuge to those suffering from persecution in their own homeland.” Mr. Leavitt was encouraged also by the positive attitude of the leaders of the Comite Central Israelita de Mexico and their desire to cooperate actively in the relief and rescue of stricken Jews overseas, especially as carried out by the J.D.C.
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.