Chief Rabbi Julien Weill of France was arrested by the Nazi authorities in Paris several weeks ago and is still being held, it was learned here today. Rabbi Weill had refused to comply with the demand of the German authorities that he establish a Jewish Council to represent and bear the responsibility for the Jewish population along the lines of the pattern of the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto.
In refusing the Nazi demand, the French Chief Rabbi declared that French Jewry was not a national minority but a purely religious community and could not deal with any matters outside of the field of religion.
Parallel with the news of the arrest of the Chief Rabbi, information has reached Lisbon that 12,000 foreign Jews now are being held in concentration camps in the vicinity of Paris under the most shocking conditions. The camps are under the direct control of the Gestapo.
5,000 other Jews are reported to have been transported from Paris to the Orleans and Tours districts for forced labor. The deportations were carried out by the French police acting under the orders of the Gestapo. Among those forced to hard labor in road building are many intellectuals.
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