Surviving Jews in Germany and in Camps Forgotten and Neglected, Brodetsky Charges

The position of the Jews in Germany today is such that “we have the right to say that never have Jews been so neglected and forgotten,” Prof, Selig Brodetsky, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, charged today. Addressing a meeting of the Board, he said that these Jews “are living under conditions which they cannot help comparing to conditions under the Nazis.”

Pointing out that the Joint Distribution Committee and the Central British Fund for Jewish Relief had been prepared for the present emergency, Prof. Brodetsky said that until recently no Jewish relief units were admitted to Germany, and there was difficulty in ascertaining the true conditions of the Jewish deportees and refugees.

He revealed that the Committee to Aid the Jews of Germany, which includes all major British Jewish organizations, has submitted a memorandum to the War and Foreign Offices demanding the appointment of special Jewish officers in camps in Germany who would have the same status as the liaison officers of the various United Nations governments.

Latest reports from the Belsen concentration camp concerning the Jewish in mates are alarming, Prof. Brodetsky said. All observers agree, he continued, that the position of the Jews in Germany is inconsistent with the Allied government’s announced intentions to treat Jews, irrespective of nationality, on the same footing as United Nations displaced persons.

During discussion of Prof. Brodetsky’s report it was pointed out that 200,000 Jewish survivors refuse to return to their countries of origin, and speakers suggested that German villages be cleared of their inhabitants to accommodate Jews now in camps.

The Board president expressed disappointment that the question of Palestine was not on the agenda of the Big Three conference in Potsdam, since, he said, Palestine is the only country in the world that is ready to welcome the survivors.