The attitude of UNRRA and the occupation authorities in the British and American zones in Germany toward the displaced Jews must be changed from that of “giving alms” to one of providing them with an opportunity to rehabilitate their lives, Michael G. Tress, national president of the Agudas Israel Youth Council of America, who has just returned from a two-month tour of Jewish camps, said at a press conference today.
Mr. Tress, who was accredited to UNRRA as an observer for the Agudah, maintained that the problem for the displaced Jews is as much mental as physical, and that they are disillusioned with having to stay in Germany, where they are constantly reminded of their murdered families. He also said that while conditions have improved somewhat, the sanitary and general health standards in the camps are still too low.
He asserted that Gen. Sir Frederick Morgan, UNRRA chief in Germany, would not have made his statement concerning the “conspiracy” to move the Jews out of Europe if he had personally observed their condition. Mr. Tress said he believed that “a group of advisors” to the General had misinformed him, and that his personal observation of Morgan convinced him that the UNRRA chief was a “fair” man, who was doing a “positive job.”
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.
