The Polish National Council which last Friday adopted a resolution protesting against the Nazi mass-slaughter of Jews in Poland, will consider practical proposals aimed at checking the Nazi outrages at a forthcoming session. The proposals include.
1. Taking steps, together with other members of the United Nations, for reprisals against Germans who are at present in the hands of the Allies.
2. Dropping printed accounts of the Nazi atrocities against the Jews in the occupied territories over Germany, “so that the German people in the future will not be able to pretend that they were unaware of these atrocities.”
3. Calling an Allied conference for the purpose of reviewing the situation and of planning effective meazures which would force the Nazis to discontinue their cold-blooded annihilation of Jews.
An appeal to the civilized world, emphasizing that history has never recorded such mass-crimes as the present Nazi extermination of Jews in Poland, was adopted unanimously by the Polish National Council. It read. “The Polish National Council solemnly appeals to all Allied nations to take immediately all possible steps against the violation of human rights and dignity and against the extermination of the population of Poland, especially the mass-murder of Jews there. In the work of Jewish mass-annihilation, the Nazi bestiality has touched the lowest recorded dopths. The Council calls upon the population of Poland- Poles, Jews and other victims-to hold out and continue their struggle, and fight as the Poles and the Jews did hitherto, with faith that victory is near and that just retribution will be taken.”
Dr. Ignacy Schwarzbart, Jewish member of the Polish National Council who introduced the appeal, declared at the session that he has nothing to add to it “as words cannot describe the terrible oecurances.” Samuel Zygelboim, the other Jewish member of the Council, declared in a broken voice. “There is nothing I can say except to hope that the Germans will be defeated before they kill all my people.” The Council stood in silence while the motion to adopt the appeal was passed.
Vice-Premier Stanislaw Mikolajozyk read to the Council an appeal published in the underground press in Poland confirming the Nazi mass-killing of Jews. “The recent victories of the Allies,” the appeal said, “have let loose a new wave of Nazi cruelties hitherto unknown in the history of mankind. Today it is the Jews that are being massacred. When the Nazis finish with the Jews they will turn on the Poles. Six million innocent Jewish victims face extermination. We cannot remain silent. We cannot help them at present, but our protest must be heard emphatically throughout the entire world.”
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.
