Ships Prey Upon Wandering Jews, Adding to Horror Of Their Flight From Germany By H. R. Knickerbocker Paris, June 22. (INS) Ten thousand Jews without friends! Ten thousand without influence! Ten thousand wandering Jew without visas and without money are hunted today like animals along the corridors of no-man's land and no-man's sea. They camp homeless between the frontiers of Germany and her neighbors. They are jammed like Negro slaves on Levantine ships-plying along the coast of Palestine, forbidden to discharge their despairing burdens in the Promised Land. They are huddled in ragged groups on deserted islands and in hidden coves in the wine-dark Aegean. They are crouching on the docks of Black Sea ports waiting vainly for a ship to carry them away. They are cruising from Cuba to Brazil, from Hamburg, to Shanghai, seeking anywhere on earth a place to stay. The waters of the seven seas are furrowed with the tracks of their vessels. There is not a country in the world where they have not sought a crevice within which to creep. A thousand of them have lived more than three months aboard ship. 18 Shipg Set Forth This investigation has revealed that within the last sixty days alone 18 ocean going steamers carrying 5,627 Jewish refugee men, women and children have set forth from Europe and been turned back from their destination. "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick." These thousands of heartsick wanderers eventually land somewhere, but often nobody knows where. They simply disappear, off thp rppord. Because most of them are , "illegal." That means they are poor. With money they could satisfy the law. Most of them once had money. Many were robbed underway, by their captains and crews. Malcolm MacDonald, harassed Colonial secretary, has bitterly complained in the House of Commons at the rapacity of the agents and captains who prey upon the "il-leeal emigrants" to Palestine, and charge them first-class trans-Atlantic fares for deck-snace on a freighter across the Mediterra nean. Some captains do worse. In one shio reported upon by a Jewish relief organization, but without the name, the passengers were told by captain there was no water. They had to collect $1000 in watches. rings and other jewelry to get water. Then thev were told there would be no food until they had contributed. another $2,500. By the end of the voyage the captain had every cent of their money ana everr valuable in their possession. worth around $5,000, and they were landed penniless Land Anywhere To land at all anywhere outside of Germany is the prime object. The 900 refugees on the "St. Louis" were rescued bv publicity. Starting from Hamburg, they were turned back from Cuba and 200 threatened to jump overboard rather than return to the hands of the Nazis. The worlds attention now has won ' them temporary refuge in Holland, France, England and Belgium. But thp "St. Louis" experience was a pleasure cruise compared to many others. The "Agios Nicolaos" with 552 refugee men. women and children from Czechoslovakia, Danzig and Germany aboard, sailed about March 1 for Palestine. None of the Jews had immim-ation certificates. Thev were led to believe the ships' agents, heavily paid, would arrange clandestine entry. March 31 thevj tried to disembark on the Palestine coast, but were shot at by the patrol and fled. The shots killed one passenger. The shin returned to Kandia, Greece, Anril 4, but the .Tews were not allowed to land. Thev sailed again and for four weeks cruised amonp the small islands of the Aegean, living on tea and stale bread. They were last heard of last week when they touched at the Rumanian rort of Balcic where the" artemnted to ?o ashore but were dr'wn back by the Rumanian police. They have been under way for more than a hundred days. Near Starvation The "Astir," another small Greek freighter, with 641 aboard like wise sailed for Palestine "illeeallv' April 6, was turned back and for the last two months has been lying off the Greek ports of Kea and Laurium. The passengers are reported near starvation. In their cruising they came across a colony of 424 destitute Jewish refugees living like savages on the coast of Crete, and received from them a message begging the people of Tel Aviv to send them food and clothing. Mr.- MacDonald admitted in the House that he had a report that the "Astir" had been refused re-admittance to a Greek port May 17. Since then she has been off the record. The - "Marmora", also Greek, sailed with 500 refugees from the little Rumanian port of Mangalia on the Black Sea about a fortnight ago, supposedly bound "illegally" for Palestine. She has not been reported since. The 78 refugees on the "Orbita" turned back from "Ecuador, had the luck to touch at Balboa, C. Z but their ultimate fate appears undecided. The 270 refugees aboard the "Assimi," a 320 ton cargo boat with accommodations only for the crew, were less fortunate. The passengers lived in the hold, twelve feet below decks. After cruising about the coast of Palestine since March, they finally put into land but were caught. Despite passionate remonstrance of the Jewish authorities in Palestine the 270 Jews were forced to remain on the "Assimi" and her master, under threat of imprisonment was forced to sail away. Palestine police report that 245 "illegal immigrants" apparently from the "Assimi" managed to land last week on the shore by night, and were interned, after three months wandering. 182 Throw Food Away Likewise the 182 passengers of the 'Panagiya Correstrio who were caught north of Tel Aviv, managed to effect a landing by hysterically throwing all their food overboard, thus compelling the British authorities to take them into internment camp. The French Steamer "Flandre" with 102 refugees left St. Nazaire April 9 for Cuba, could discharge only six passengers in Havana and after two months of cruising left with her 96 passengers for France. She may seek first a refuge somewhere in Central America or Mexico. Worst fate was that of the 200 refugees on the "Orinocco" who left Hamburg for Cuba May 28 but on account of the experience of the "St. Louis" was recalled at Cherbourg where she waited three days. At the end of that time, the 200 Jews were returned to Hamburg, where they now await concentration camp if they do not find some way to leave aeain immediately. The Rumanian Steamer "Sandu" which left Constanza a month ago for Palestine with 269 "illegal immigrants." has returned to Con-stanza with all of them. The Rumanian authorities refuse to allow them to disembark. Eight hundred refugees who had cruised for two months in the "General St. Martin." the "Ocean-ica" the "Can Norde" and the "General Artizas" after havin? been forciblv put aboard by the Gestano, in Lisbon, Gibraltar and Monte video. Authorities Break Down Palestine authorities broke down and admitted 906 ragged starving men, women and children picked up by the S. S. "Liesel" from small deserted islands in the Greek Archipelago. They also took in under arrest 400 refugees including 265 women and children from the salvage tug "Atrato." For every "illegal immigrant" one place will be deducted from the number of immigrants permitted legally to enter the Promised Land. This is an incomplete list of a few of the visible victims of the modern Pharaoh during the last sixty days. They are the Jews who wandered on the water. On land there are more. CS00QC3 I
