Editor Was Threatened with Punishment for Protesting Jews’ Evacuation

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Mail Service)

An interesting revelation concerning the attitude of the Allies during the war to the Jewish “evacuations” in Russia is made by the “Jewish Chronicle” here.

The “Jewish Chronicle” points out that it was the first organ of the press to call attention publicly to the “evacuation” in Russia. On July 23, 1915, “Mentor” devoted his weekly comment to a summary of the situation. “The ‘Jewish Chronicle,'” says the editorial, “was the first organ of public opinion to unmask this piece of utter villainy, and we are gratified to recollect that the amelioration of the local Jewish condition, although months had gone by before this “evacuation” had become known in Western Europe, was largely due to the “Jewish Chronicle” expose.

“The reward for protesting against this bare-faced inhumanity,” the paper states,” was a serious and severe threat on the part of the authorities in this country of condign punishment for the editor of this journel, on the ground that he had published without leave an account of a military Order issued to one of the Allied forces! It was a risk which having regard to the spirit then prevailing was recognized, although the Order was months old. The risk, however, had to be taken with all its consequences, for the alternative was the hushing up of a grave and intolerable wrong to a large population of the Jewish people.”