Using the ruse that they were distributing flour for matzohs, the German occupation authorities in Greece early last month succeeded in rounding up a number of Athens Jews, it was revealed here today by a small group of Greek Jews who succeeded in fleeing the country with the assistance of partisan bands.
The escaped refugees said that when the Athens Jews came to the synagogue where it had been announced the flour would be distributed, they were met by armed Germans who took them into custody. The arrested persons were sent to the Baidari concentration camp.
At present, there are about 15,000 Jews in the Baidari camp, the arrivals said. They are used for various agricultural jobs and are frequently forced to dig up the earth with their bare hands. The prisoners are forbidden to talk to each other except for one-half hour each day.
Other reports reaching here indicate that the Nazis are embarked on an intensive drive to arrest the few Jews still remaining in the Greek capital. Mass-arrests are reported to have started on March 23, and round-ups are still continuing. Many of the Athenian Jews, according to information reaching the Greek Government several months ago, are being sheltered by Greek patriots in the city and the surrounding countryside.
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.
