The position of Jews in the camps for displaced persons was described today as “most critical” by Dr. Joseph Schwartz, European director of the Joint Distribution Committee, prior to his departure by air for New York.
Dr. Schwartz warned of grave repercussions if aid for the displaced Jews is curtailed. “The next months,” he said, “will decide whether the Jewish survivors are likely to build for themselves a normal life, or live hopelessly on outside aid for years. The future of the Jews in Europe depends on the outcome of the Palestine issue.”
As a result of hunger, unrest and instability, thousands of Jewish refugees are crossing the borders into countries from where they hope to reach a peaceful territory, Dr. Schwartz said. The U.S. Army is refusing to help the refugees, UNRRA has virtually ceased functioning and the International Relief Organization is not yet operating. The J.D.C. remains the only organization helping the refugees who are arriving in Vienna at the rate of several hundred daily, mostly from Rumania, he reported.
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