While celebrations throughout Germany today marked the first anniversary of the Saar plebiscite, which returned the district to the Reich, the approximately 2,000 Jews remaining in the district began making last preparations for an exodus from the territory before March 1, when Germany’s pledge of guarantee minority rights in the Saar expires.
The wealthier elements of the 4,000 Jews who originally inhabited the Saar have already left. Remaining Jews are hastily converting their assets to cash and withdrawing it under the terms of the France-German pact on the Saar, which permits withdrawal of capital by emigrating Jews.
About 1,500 Jews are expected to remain for lack of funds for transportation to other countries. A large part of these will remove to the larger German cities.
Central Jewish organizations are making plans to give assistance to these Jews after March 1.
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.
