The Velodrome D’Hiver, a bicycle track near Paris, is so tightly packed with Jews arrested by the German occupation authorities that the internees find it impossible to even stretch their legs, the Paris correspondent of the Social Democratic Berne newspaper, Tagwacht, reports today.
Describing the situation of the Jews confined in the camp, the Swiss correspondent writes: “The famed Velodrome D’Hiver is now packed with the most miserable human beings of both sexes. It is impossible for them to stretch their legs, nor have they room to lie down and sleep. They must stand in line for hours when they wish to use the lavatory. Some of the younger Jewish women have been forced into brothels patronized by German soldiers.”
He confirmed the reports that scores of Jews committed suicide when Gestapo agents came to seize them. “During the days between July 15 and 25 we went through Hell,” the correspondent states. “Many cases came to my knowledge where women and their children jumped from windows. But this did not deter the Nazis. The arrests continued.”
The Tagwacht today carries a front-page editorial commenting on the arrests entitled: “We Cannot Remain Silent.”
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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.
