Relations Between Troops. Jews in British Zone of Germany Worsen Due to “scare” Campaign

The scare campaign in the British press concerning the alleged attempts by Jewish terrorists to penetrate Britain and assassinate high-ranking civil and military figures has led to deterioration in the relations between Jews in the British zone of Germany and the occupation troops.

Joseph Rosensaft and Norbert Wollheim, leaders of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the British zone, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that army papers in Germany, which are also read by the local German authorities, took their lead from the British press and ran sensational stories about the menace of “Jewish terrorists.”

They disclosed that they conferred with War Minister F.J. Bellinger, who promised to communicate with occupation authorities concerning the DP’s complaints against the military. They also saw John Hynd, Minister for Occupied Territories, to whom they appealed for recognition of the Central Committee as the spokesman for all Jews in the British zone. They pointed out that all Jewish matters are dealt with on local levels and there is no contact between the Committee and the top military officers.

Rosensaft and Wollheim also discussed with Hynd the “catastrophic food situation,” and the treatment of “infiltrees” from Poland. They demanded that Jews and other victims of persecution be exempt from requisition of homes and other similar official measures, which are applied to the German population.

Declaring that the problems facing the Jewish DP’s include food, clothing and housing, they said that nothing can halt the flow of immigrants to Palestine. “Every Jew is conscious of the risks involved in illegal voyages,” Rosensaft said, “but even Cyprus is paradise compared to Germany. We are denied the right to live where we wish. We cannot be denied the right to die where we choose. We do not wish to die in Germany.”