Evening star., 1945-12-16
Rifkind Again Urges
Opening Of U. 5. Zone
As Haven for Jews
BY L. S. B. SHAPIRO,

FRANKFURT, Dec. 15-In an ef-
fort to solve the rapidly develop
ing crisis in the allied rescue pro-
gram for European Jews, Judge
Simon H. Rifkind, chief adviser on
Jewish affairs to Gen. Joseph Nc
Narney, commander of United
States forces in Europe, has renewed
his month-old recommendation to
the War Department that the
American occupation zone be OPEN,
ed as a temporary haven to all
Jews in Geymany and the eastern
neiehboring states. If the recon-
mendation is approved, it would
help In bringing 350,000 Jews from
Poland, Austria and the British
zone into American-operated camps.
In an interview yesterday Judge
Rifkind clarified a situation which
has been confused by charges that
British authorities are extending to
Germany the same repressive meas
ures they have applied to Jewish
migration to Palestine and by other
charges that American camps for
Jews are desperately overcrowded
He indicated that both charges are
to some extent true
Crisis Outlined.
The New York jurist outlined the
growth of the crisis as follows:
The problem developed last sum-
mer, when Jews began to discover
the hopelessness of trying to re-
establish themselves in their for
mer homes, particularly Poland.
Those who quit DIP camps to re-
sumo normal life returned to the
same camps in few weeks, bring
ing friends and relatives anxious
to flee from new outbreaks of anti
Semitism.
What was at first a'trickle soon
became steady flow. Later, Jews
began arriving from Austria and
from the British zone where they
complained of harsh treatment.
This unexpected movement Gre
ated two new problems for the
American occupation authorities.
The first was that they had pre-
pared accommodation for only 40
600 Jewish DPS, the number esti-
mated to be the American zonal re-
sponsibility. This number now is
swollen to $4,000 and is growing
daily.
Second Problem.
The second problem was that the
newcomers weren't DPS under the
War Department definition of dis
placed persons-they were migrants
and American officials had no
specific authority to care for them.
Nevertheless, few were turned back.
These people were coming to
American camps with the passive
cooperation of the Russians and
British. The Russians allowed them
to board trains from Poland to Ber-
lin, where they were housed in
transit camps ordinarily reserved
for French, Belgian and Dutch DPS.
From Berlin, they were transferred
by the regular DIP organization to
Hesslingen transit camp, which is
In the British zone. Thence, French
Belgian and Dutch DPS were trans
ported to their respective countries.
while Jews trekked by themselves
to the nearest camp in the American
zone.
Arrangement Stopped.
This informal arrangement was
suddenly paralyzed December g.,
when the British put a stop to the
system by refusing to allow Jews to
leave Berlin for Hesslingen. In three
days, Berlin's transit camp was
clogged with Jews. Today more than
5000 Jews are marooned in Berlin
due to this British action, and al
though Berlin impoverished Jewish
community is doing what it can,
Judge Rifkind-who has just re-
turned from there-reports that
conditions are desperate and are
growing more actue as refugees from
Polish persecution pour into the
bottleneck.
AS the situation stands, these Jews
have no official status as DPS and
no recognized agency is responsible
for their welfare. In an effort to
break this human log jam, Judge
Rifkind has urgently renewed his
recommendation to make the
American zone a haven for all Jews
regardless of official status. Other
wise, 1t Is feared, thousands will
perish of cold and malnutrition.