Plans for a Jewish settlement in the Dominican Republic, which became a reality two years ago with the founding of the Sosua colony there, were first broached sixty years back, it is disclosed in a pamphlet on "The Historical Background of the Settlement of Jewish Refugees in Santo Domingo" by Dr. Mark Wischnitzer, which appeared today.
In the booklet, which is a reprint of an article in the January, 1942, issue of the quarterly journal, "Jewish Social Studies," Dr. Wischnitzer relates details of correspondence in 1862 between Jewish leaders and General Gregorio Luperon, Dominican diplomat, looking toward a settlement of Russian Jews in Santo Domingo. The reason for the plan having fallen through, is not yet known, the author states and will not be known until the time when it will become possible to examine the files of the Alliance Israelite Universelle in Paris, which handled the negotiations.
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.
