The ill wind of war in Scandinavia has blown good for eight Jewish refugees from Finland held at Ellis Island, whose scheduled deportation has been stayed by the outbreak of hostilities in northern Europe, it was revealed today.
The group arrived in New York on March 9 on the steamship Bergensfjord, having left the area of Finland now annexed to Russia. They were bound for Haiti, for which they had received visas in Europe. However, the Haitian consulate in New York refused to recognize the validity of the visas, whereupon the Labor Department was forced to order their deportation.
However, as a result of the outbreak of war in Scandinavia and the inclusion of the area in the zone forbidden to American shipping, the eight refugees are being allowed to remain in this country until homes can be found for them in Haiti or elsewhere, it was revealed today by Isidore Herschfield, Washington representative of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
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