The Synagogue Council of America, representing the religious voice of American Jews, today appealed to President Roosevelt for the establishment in the United States of “free ports” as a temporary sanctuary for refugees.
The appeal, signed by Rabbi Israel Goldstein, president of the Council, asked the President to take “heroic measures” to save the Jews that can still be rescued from the Balkans and other Nazi-dominated territories.
“We urgently plea for the establishment of ‘free ports’ that is, temporary emergency refugee camps, in the United States in which refugees may find a sanctuary for the duration of the war,” the appeal said. “This will not only assure life for those who can escape from the Nazi hangmen and can be brought here, but it will prove an effective instrument for the implementation of your March 24th statement. It will encourage the people of Europe and Asia to resist Nazi savagery and it will in addition serve as an example to other nations who may be influenced to follow America’s leadership and establish similar havens.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
