Civilian Polish refugees have been granted a one-month extension of their residential permits, it was announced officially today. (An Associated Press dispatch from Bucharest said that the Rumanian Government had given the refugees until Feb. 2 either to leave or be subjected to restricted residence in 33 designated areas. The original deadline was Oct. 15.)
Meanwhile, indignation has been aroused among the Rumanian Jewish population by the fact that non-Jewish Polish refugees are maintaining an anti-Semitic attitude even in exile despite the generous assistance given by the Rumanian Jews to refugees regardless of religion. The non-Jewish refugees refuse to live in Jewish houses or to patronize Jewish restaurants and shops.
The Bucharest Jewish Community has launched a campaign for funds to assist not only some 300 refugees who reached this city, but another 2,000 scattered in various parts of the country. The economically weak Cernauti Jews, who received the first stream of refugees, have contributed generously to an assistance fund.
From Cernauti, the Government directed the refugees to the interior, chiefly Bucharest, Vaslui, Roman and Bacau. The refugees, however, were not permitted to remain in the bigger cities and were distributed to townships and villages where they are enduring great hardships because of inadequate accommodations. Among the exiles are doctors, lawyers and other intellectuals. Their difficulties are expected to increase with the approach of winter.
The Mutual Aid Association of Jewish Immigrants from Russia, comprising Jews who emigrated after the Bolshevik revolution, is particularly active in refugee work in Bucharest, distributing food and placing refugees in private Jewish homes and institutions.
Since the authorities originally had limited the stay of the refugees to ten days from arrival, they were anxiously awaiting funds promised by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society to finance their re-emigration. Most of the exiles, however, were without documents and were obtaining passports from the Polish Legation at Bucharest only with the greatest difficulty.
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