Segregation of Jews in Ghettos Was Necessary Because They Aided the Allies, Hungary Said

Many Jews in Hungary have assisted the Allies by committing sabotage, aiding partisan groups and by spreading “false and alarming rumors,” it was charged today by Hungarian Commissar for Jewish Affairs Lazlo Endre during an “explanation” of why the pro-Nazi puppet government found it necessary to confine Jews in ghettos.

In an interview with German newspapers, Endre added that the Jews in the sections of Hungary which are menaced by the Red Army cooperated with the Russians, destroyed food stuffs and assisted the enemy in “other treacherous ways.”

Hungarian papers reaching here today disclose that the anti-Jewish drive is still in full swing throughout Hungary, with professional bodies, government administrators and local officials cooperating in ousting all Jews from the country’s economic, social, and cultural life and segregating them in ghettos where they will be completely isolated from the rest of the population. The following reports, taken from local newspapers, indicate what is happening to Hungarian Jews.

In Budapest, the Lawyers Chamber approved the ousting of 182 Jewish lawyers, although they are exempt from the anti-Jewish laws because of service at the front. Earlier the chamber had expelled 1,839 Jewish attorneys.

In the large city of Satu-Mare, the authorities decreed that Jews must Sale all of their clothing, aside from what they could wear at one time, to Hungarians at fixed prices far below their value. In the city of Subotica the police announced that Jews must use “Jim Crow” platforms on the rear of street cars and are banned from theatres, cafes, restaurants, public baths and public promenades. In the town of Mohac the mayor established two ghettos with a total capacity of 226 rooms and 83 kitchens to accommodate 1,169 persons.