Paris Jews Concerned at Attempts to Prevent Return Home of Non-french Deportees

The Jews in Paris and elsewhere in France are deeply concerned at attempts by powerful groups to prevent the return home of deported Jews who were not French citizens. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent was told that such sentiments have been voiced even in influential government circles.

The proposal by these groups that the non-citizens be returned to their countries of origin would work extreme hardship on thousands of deportees who may still be living-working in the coal mines of Silesia or elsewhere, or confined in German concentration camps. Many of these had spent the majority of their lives in France prior to their deportation, had French wives and in many cases owned considerable property here. If prohibited from returning they would be stripped of everything.

This problem is not an academic one, it was stressed today by Avrom Alperin, president of the Jewish Unity Committee. Alperin told the J.T.A. correspondent that he believes that 40 to 60 percent of the Jews deported from the Drancy concentration camp to Poland or Germany may still be alive. He revealed that he has received communications from several deportees now working for the Germans in the coal mines of Upper Silesia and added that he has been informed of deportees who are working elsewhere. Frenchmen returning to France from work in Silesia disclosed that Jews were working at forced labor in several places there.

Emanuel Langberg, one-time commandant of the “Jewish self-administrative” machinery set up by the Nazis at Drancy smuggled out the names of 75,000 Jews deported from the camp during the 13 months he held office. Of these at least 1,000 were heard from subsequently. At certain times, Langberg said, the Germans permitted deportees to mail printed cards stating they were alive, although they did not permit them to receive any incoming mail.

Although there are these and other indications that some of the deportees are still alive. Mr. Alperin emphasized that it would be incorrect to minimize the tragedy or grow over-optimistic about the chances of most of the deportees having survived, Able-bodied men may possibly have been utilized, he stated, but there are no indications that the women deportees were spared, and it is feared that they were all sent to extermination camps.