Friday, October 19 1945
DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle
Page Sixteen
Swiss Jewish Leader Saved 200,000
From Death, Reveals The JDC
Anti-Defamation Chief
NEW YORK — Moses A. Lea- led, the negotiations would be
or-
vitt, JDC vice president, told the broken off. The deportation
der
was
cancelled.
amazing story of a middle-aged
Swiss Jewish retired business-
According to Mr. Leavitt, the
man who persuaded Hitler's Nazis in their turn also demand-
agents to cancel the deportation ed of Mayer that he demonstrate
of 200,000 Jews from Hungary his ability to carry out his part
to almost certain death in Po- of the bargain. Mayer then call-
land, browbeat the agents into ed on the J.D.C. to supply $5,-
releasing another 1,700 Jews 000,000 which he might show
from Bergen-Belsen, and won for the purpose. The J.D.C. bor-
permission to send truckloads of rowed funds from the banks and
food to the starving inmates of made this vast sum available.
other Nazi camps. He is Saly The State and Treasury Depart-
Mayer, a leader of the Swiss ments permitted the J.D.C. to
Jewish community and full-time transfer the amount, so that Ma-
volunteer representative of the yer could hold the negotiations
Joint Distribution Committee in open.
Switzerland.
"In the course of the long
Mr. Leavitt revealed how Mr. drawn-out negotiations," Mr. Lea-
Mayer was approached by the S. vitt said, "Saly Mayer succeed-
S. commercial representative for ed in shifting from discussion of
Hungary, Kurt Becher. "The ransom to the consideration of a
Nazi agent," he said, "claiming proposal that he arrange for re-
to be close to Himmler, brought lief supplies to be sent into Ger-
a German offer to halt the de- many through the International
portation and extermination of Red Cross to keep Jews and other
Jews in Hungary for a proper persons alive. Early in 1945, tons
ransom. The War Refugee Board of food furnished by both the
indicated that it would raise no War Refugee Board and the JDC
objection to Mayer's entering in- went into the camps. Refugees
to further discussions on the pro- coming out of Theresienstadt and
posal, since he was a Swiss citi- other camps have testified how
zen, but made it clear that no they owed their lives to this
ransom transactions could be en- food."
tered into or authorized by the
United States Government "
(Continued from Page 1)
of the reservations committee for
the affair.
Beginning at 8:30 p. m. this
Saturday, the clinics for presi-
dents, vice presidents, and secre-
taries of lodges and women's
groups will be held. On Sunday,
plans include training in youth
work, post-war service and Amer-
icanism, anti-defamation, Hillel,
and other phases of the service
program of the organization.
Among those active in the pre-
parations for the affair, con-
sidered to be the first effort in
the city to develop trained lead-
ers for community service, are :
Lawrence I. Yaffa, Jeannette
Sheplow, Alfred W. Keats, Al-
fred W. Keats, Albert A. Berger,
Sam Hersch, Sidney Karbel, and
the officers of the local Councils.
The public may attend all
phases of the programs, the meet-
ings being open.
Yanks Bar Refugees
From American Zone
PRAGUE (JTA) — American
troops stationed on the demar-
cation line between the Ameri-
can-occupied section of Czecho-
slovakia and the rest of the coun-
try are turning back Polish Jews
seeking to reach the U. S. zone
in Germany, hundreds of whom
pass through here daily.
The action of the American
military authorities has caused
untold anguish among the refu-
gees and presented the Jewish
welfare groups in this city with
almost insurmountable difficul-
ties despite the cooperation of
the Czech authorities. The refu-
gees, fearful of returning to Pol-
and, remain in Prague, desti-
tute and homeless.
These exhausted, miserable
People do not know where to
turn, and their only idea is to
get to Palestine.
Dr. Kubowitzki At Rally
(Continued from page 1)
world has occupied most of his
activities. In 1936 he was entrust.
ed with the organization of the
first World Jewish Congre: , s.
this congress he was elected
member of its Executive C
mittee.
Today he is the head of the
Department of European Jewish
Affairs of the World Jewish Con-
gress. He is also associated with
the Institute of Jewish Affairs.
SEMINARY HONORS
3
NEW YORK (JTA) — Honor-
ary degrees were conferred upon
Mrs. Felix M. Warburg, humani-
tarian and philanthropist, Doctor
Israel Goldstein, president of the
Zionist Organization of America,
and Doctor A. S. W. Rosenbach,
eminent bibliographer, at the
commencement exercises of the
Jewish Theological Seminary of
America held in the Seminary's
quadrangle.
r-
Jewish Conference
ENTERED GERMANY
The J.D.C. secretary then re- Thanks Truman
lated how Mayer carried on dis-
NEW YORK (JTA) — The
cussions with the Nazi represen- American Jewish Conference, at
tatives for months, with the idea the conclusion of a two-day ses-
of gaining time for the hundreds sion of its interim committee, ad-
of thousands of Hungarian Jews dressed an appeal to President
the Nazis threatened to extermi- Truman to secure a definite solu-
nate. At one point, at the risk tion of the Palestine problem.
of his life, Mayer entered Nazi Simultaneously, it cabled a pro-
Germany to carry on the dis- test to Prime Minister Attlee
cussions. "Here at the J.D.C. we "against the reported intention
held our breath until we were ad- of the British Government to
vised of Mayer's safe return," continue unbearable and illegal
Mr. Leavitt said.
restrictions on Jewish immigra-
"During the course of the ne- tion and colonization in Pales-
gotiations," Mr. Leavitt stated, tine."
"Mayer asked the German rep-
resentatives to demonstrate that
they had actual power. He or- 300 Austrian Jews
dered them to route a trainload Protest Removal
of Jews being transported to Ber-
VIENNA (JTA) — A demon-
gen-Belsen to Switzerland in-
stead. The Nazis complied, and stration through the streets of
Mayer secured the entry of the Linz, Austria, by 300 Polish Jew-
1,700 refugees to Switzerlipd." ish D.P.s, this week resulted in
the dismissal of the American
At another point in Mayer's
commander of the camp in which
negotiations, according to Mr.
the Jews had been held.
Leavitt, Mayer was advised that
The 300 demonstrated to pro-
66 trains were ready in Buda-
test
against their transfer by the
pest to carry 200,000 Jews to
the notorious murder camps in unnamed officer from the camp
Oswiecim. Mayer called Becher where they were quartered to
and threatened that if the de- one that was formerly used to
portation order were not cancel- house prisoners of war.
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