The British Embassy in Lisbon has notified the Hias-Ica office there that as result of intervention by the Chief Rabbi of England, the British Government has granted entry permits for the island of Mauritius, which is in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, to a number of rabbis living in occupied European territories.
The Portuguese authorities, according to a telegram received here today from Dr. James Bernstein, Hias-Ica director in Lisbon, have agreed to grant transit visas to these rabbis for Lourenco-Marques in Mozambique, the nearest harbor to Mauritius that that Portuguese steamers touch. These transit visas will be granted on the basis of a guarantee by the Hias-Ica office in Lisbon that transportation from Lourenco-Marques to Mauritius will be secured.
“It is still unknown whether the German occupational authorities will give the necessary exit permits to these rabbis,” Dr. Bernstein emphasized in his telegram.
Another report from Dr. Bernstein says that 130 Spanish Jews and 32 Portuguese Jews have been permitted by the German authorities to leave Paris for their native lands. The Spanish Jews arrived last week in Spain where they were sent to forced residence in provincial regions despite their Spanish nationality. The Portuguese Jews arrived at Lisbon and were not molested by the Portuguese authorities.
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.
