French Policy On Postwar Migration Of Eastern European Jews Through France And French Occupation Zones In Germany And Austria
French Policy On Postwar Migration Of Eastern European Jews Through France And French Occupation Zones In Germany And Austria

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the migration of Jewish refugees through the French occupation zones in Germany and Austria as well as their entry into France in the aftermath of WWII. Its purpose is to analyze the link between French policy towards Jewish refugees in the occupation zones and that pursued within France itself. How did Jewish refugees traverse these territories? What exactly was the French attitude toward these movements? First, it will be demonstrated that the French authorities considered the Jewish refugees and DPs as a specific category. I will discuss the consequences of this for the lives of refugees and their migration opportunities. The place of French zones within the itinerary of Jewish refugees to Palestine will then be analyzed. I examine how the French authorities reacted to the illegal border-crossing from the American to the French ones, and from the latter into Italy and France. The strategies used by Jewish refugees and Zionist organizations to sneak across frontiers, French reactions toward these movements, and, finally, the impact of French attitude on diplomatic relations with American, Italian and especially British authorities will all be considered. As is apparent with the transit agreement of August 1946, France had been more of a transit country to America and Palestine than a host one for Jewish refugees. I will focus on how the terms of this agreement were applied, by whom, how many people were concerned, what dissensions it generated inside the French government as well as among Jewish organizations.

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