Thousands of foreign Jews in Italy, faced with expulsion by March 12, tonight urged the British Government to facilitate their settlement in one group in the United States, Canada or Australia, as Prime Minister Neville Chamber in discussed the Jewish question with Premier Mussolini.
The majority of the eight to ten thousand foreign Jews, who must emigrate by next March under a Fascist decree, are prepared to move en masse and establish a self supporting colony, a Jewish delegation said in the second memorandum in two days on the subject submitted to the British Embassy here.
Describing the inability of local Jewish committees to cope with the problem, the statement expressed the hope that the British Government would find a solution of the question, and concluded with an urgent plea to Prime Minister Chamberlain to take account of their desperate need.
British Embassy officials expressed sympathy with the Jews’ situation and promised to inform Prime Minister Chamberlain of the memorandum. The first memorandum, delivered last night, expressed confidence in any action that the British Prime Minister would take regarding the Jewish problem. It urged intervention for postponement of the emigration deadline until a land of settlement could be found for the Jews and to induce the Italian Government to permit those expelled to take some of their possessions.
The Jewish question was touched on in passing in a review of outstanding international questions during this evening’s talk between Prime Minister Chamberlain and Premier Mussolini, it was learned, but informed sources said that Mr. Chamberlain would not seek an understanding with the Italian dictator on the question until after his audience with Pope Pius tomorrow. All circles attached great importance to Mr. Chamberlain’s audience with the Pope, expressing the conviction that it would have an important bearing on the Prime Minister’s subsequent discussions here. It was believed that the Pontiff would seek to induce Mr. Chamberlain to use his utmost influence with Premier Mussolini against racial and religious persecution in Italy.
Meanwhile, the belief is growing that an agreement will be reached for establishment of some form of Jewish State in Eastern Ethiopia in exchange for territorial concessions in Italy, without any actual study of the feasibility of the project and without obtaining the opinions of those affected.
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.
