Two hundred Jewish residents of the Burgenland province have been “invited” to leave Austria by an emigrant-smuggling scheme operating systematically through a travel agency in the heart of Vienna, it was learned today.
Apparently backed by the authorities, 30 to 50 persons have left for Paris in the last few days. The bureau’s facilities are open to all Austrian Jews who can pay a fee of 750 marks, but residents of Burgenland, which is east of Vienna and borders both Hungary and Czechoslovakia, may avail themselves of its services without charge. This is apparently part of the Gestapo (German secret police) drive to wind up the Burgenland purge by October 1.
Of 3,800 Jews who lived in the Burgenland province before Anschluss, 1,900 have been expelled, 1,600 have found temporary refuge in Vienna and 300 are still confined in three or four Burgenland “ghettos.”
It is learned from informed quarters that 100,000 marks have been set aside to cover fares and incidental expenses for the Burgenland deportees. This money comes from millions of marks realized from confiscated Jewish properties in the province.
News of the fate of one group of the deportees has reached Vienna. This group had left for Saarbruecken, Germany, where it was overtaken by a high German authority, escorted on foot to French territory and placed on a Paris train without French visas.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
