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Jews Continue to Flee from Eastern Countries to Austria; Complicate Resettlement

February 9, 1949
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A new influx of Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe, cost of whom declare that they have fled to escape arrest for anti-Communist activity, is now seriously complicating the DP resettlement problem here.Within the last three months more than 3,000 Jewish refugees have arrived in Austria from Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Rumania.

Were it not for these new arrivals, the evacuation of Jewish DP’s would now be nearly completed. Today 200 persons were sent from western Austrian camps on their ray to new homes abroad. But an equal number have arrived here since Feb. 1. On the average, 600 to 800 are being admitted each month into the camps while the remainder are living in hotels or with Austrian relatives.

Jewish authorities here have long hoped that the resettlement problem would be largely solved by early summer, leaving behind four to five thousand refugees waiting transportation to some place other than Israel. These hopes seem doomed to disappointment since only about 20 percent of the newcomers indicate a desire to emigrate to Israel, and most of them do not yet know whore they want to go.What is to be done with these people who refuse to go to Israel, and for whom visas are not available in other countries, is a question nobody here can answer.

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