The Nazi military authorities in occupied France have issued a decree forbidding Jews to engage in any business or profession which would bring them into contact with “Aryans,” beginning May 20, it was reported here today.
The decree defines “Jew” in accordance with the Nuremberg laws–persons with at least three grandparents of pure Jewish blood, persons with grandparents who belonged to the Jewish religious community and persons with two Jewish grandparents who attend synagogue or have married Jews.
Dismissed Jewish employees must be replaced by “Aryans” and discharged Jews are to receive no compensation. Violation of the decree will be punished by imprisonment, fines and confiscation of property.
The decree specifically bars Jews from a variety of callings, including the restaurant and hotel industry, insurance, transportation agencies, banking, real estate, employment agencies and as commercial travelers and then adds a general stipulation that Jews are barred from any business bringing them into contact with “Aryans.”
Meanwhile, Pierre Mendes-France, Undersecretary of State in Leon Blum’s government and member of one of the oldest Jewish families in Bayonne, has been sentenced by a court in unoccupied France to six years’ imprisonment on a charge of deserting the army.
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