Jewish Representative in Persia Appeals for Urgent Relief for 800 Polish Jews

The British Foreign Office today cabled to its embassy in Teheran, Persia, instructing the officials there to render all possible aid to the representative of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, Rafael Shafar, in his efforts to improve the condition of 800 Polish Jews now stranded in Persia.

The order to the British embassy was cabled as a result of a report received by the Jewish Agency office here from Mr. Shafar, stating that “the sufferings of the 800 Jewish refugees from Poland who reached Teheran from Russia could hardly be imagined by anyone who has not witnessed them.” These unfortunates, Mr. Shafar reported, live in temporary barracks under terrible conditions and are in urgent need of immediate relief, particularly clothing, bedding and medicaments. The state of their health is extremely grave and several cases of spotted fever have been registered among them. There is a danger of epidemic diseases.

Mr. Shafar’s report does not indicate to what extent the Jewish refugees are being aided by the Polish relief organizations which are operating in Teheran. Other information reaching here from Persia indicates that the Jews are not being given the same treatment as that extended by Polish relief organizations to non-Jewish refugees who reached Teheran from Russia.

Samuel Zygelbaum, one of the two Jewish members of the Polish National Council, was the only representative who voted against the budget of the Polish Government-in-Exile today when the budget was taken to a vote. Dr. Ignacy Schwartzbart, the other Jewish member, as well as five non-Jewish Socialist members of the Council, stated that they were voting for the budget only because they wished to avoid disunity in the ranks of the Polish parliament-in-exile under the present war conditions.