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Young Foreign Jews in Italy Offer to Serve in French Army

March 27, 1939
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Many young foreign Jews whose scheduled expulsion March 12 was unofficially postponed are volunteering for service in the French army, it was revealed today. Their offers, made at French consulates in Italy, have so far not been accepted since the French service makes no provision for acceptance into the regular army of foreigners residing abroad. British consulates have recently been confronted with similar offers.

Meanwhile, pressure for emigration on foreign Jews, some 5,000 of whom were unable to comply with the March 12 deadline, is continuing. Police are making frequent visits to their homes to spur them into leaving. All foreign Jews, it is expected, will shortly be compelled to report at police headquarters two or three times weekly. The drift of Jews to the French frontier has been continuing and has received fresh impetus from the present war scare.

Reports from Trieste said three Jews, Angelo Morterra, Ida Finzi-Levi and Aldo Mari have been fined 2,000 lire (about $100) each for employing Italian “Aryan” servants. It was the first action against Italian Jews for violation of the Nov. 17 decree. While the majority of Italian Jews dismissed their “Aryan” maids immediately the decree came into force, many applied to the Interior Ministry for permission to retain them and received unofficial assurances that they would not be held to account until a reply from the Ministry had been obtained. To cope with the domestic problem, Jewish organizations are encouraging Jewish girls to fill vacancies.

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