Polish Zionists Transfer Activities to Wilno

Polish “Zionism in Exile” has been organized here by escaped Zionist leaders, who have launched training activities for 1,000 refugees from Poland, including 600 trained prospective chalutzim (Palestine pioneers).

Warsaw Zionist leaders are cooperating with local Zionists and have also established contact with Zionists in Kaunas. They are also helping to unify the Lithuanian Zionist organization with that in Wilno. A special commission is organizing distribution of food and finding lodging for Zionist refugees. The commission is supplying 700 meals daily.

The Palestine Office of Warsaw has been reorganized here under the direction of Rafael Shafar and is trying to establish contact with Jewish Agency headquarters in Jerusalem and London with a view to reopening immigration to Palestine.

All the offices of the Zionist organizations in Warsaw, including the Palestine Office and the headquarters of the Jewish National Fund and Palestine Foundation Fund, were destroyed by fire. The chalutz training farms in Nazi-occupied territory have been dissolved with the exception of two or three near Lodz and Bendin, where, it is reported, the training of chalutzim is still in progress with the consent of the Nazi authorities.

The Palestine Maritime League branch in Gdynia has been dissolved by the Nazis and many of its members have fled in fishing smacks to Denmark. It is reported that Zionist youth groups in the German-held area were trying to cross the Soviet frontier in the hope of reaching Odessa and proceeding to Palestine. It is not known whether any have succeeded.