ADSS 9.96 Roncalli to Maglione: Jewish confidence in the Holy See

ADSS 9.96 Angelo Roncalli, Apostolic Delegate to Turkey to Cardinal Maglione

Reference:  report number 4180 (AES 2794/43)

Location and date: Istanbul, 13.03.1943

Summary statement: Jews have confidence in the intervention of the Holy See.

Language: Italian

Text:

I follow the dispatch [from earlier today] (1) with the Promemoria I made with Messrs Kaplan and Barlas of the “Jewish Agency for Palestine” as a summary of the conversation that took place in the Delegation here. (2)  Once again, the description of the sufferings their countrymen are subjected to is touching and tragic.  Needless to say their confidence in the beneficial intervention of the Holy Father is profound, and the abandonment of their spirit to this providence appears sincere.

They wanted me to add a copy of the letter they addressed to Fr Hughes and which may at this time, either in its text or contents, have reached your Eminence. (3)  I think it good perhaps to combine this argument that contains information useful in a compassionate study to relieve the sorrows of the unfortunate chosen people. (4)

References: 

(1) Error in text.  It should read “telegram”.

(2) The principle points made in the memorandum were: “… According to the information we have received, the rest of the Jewish population of Slovakia, about 20,000 souls, are in immediate danger of being deported before the end of this month to Poland.  The situation in Poland, where about two thirds of the Jewish population was wiped out in a cruel manner, requires no comment.

So we beg your Excellency, to present our petition to the Holy See to kindly intervene with the Slovak government to prevent these cruel measures which would mean the death of the remains of the Jewish community.

We reiterate as well our second petition, that the Vatican would take action with the Slovak government for approximately 2,000 children in Slovakia, for whom we have the possibility of granting immigration certificates to Palestine as part of the British government quota provided to us, which would allow the children to lodge in Slovakia until they are fit to continue their journey …

On this occasion we would give you the enclosed copy of a memorandum of 20.01.1943 addressed to the Reverend Arthur Hughes, Apostolic Delegate in Egypt and Palestine, Istanbul, where we set out the problem in general and by which we humbly pray the Holy See grant them a sympathetic attitude.

Unfortunately the situation in the occupied countries has worsened since then, so the content of this memorandum is still current.

We would appreciate it if you would kindly draw the attention of the Holy See on the untenable situation of the Jewish communities in Europe and ask it to intervene as it deems best.

(3) See ADSS 9.22, attachment.

(4) See ADSS 9.172.

ADSS 9.95 Roncalli to Maglione

ADSS 9.95 Angelo Roncalli, Apostolic Delegate to Turkey to Cardinal Maglione

Reference: Telegram 99 (AES 1584/43)

Location and date: Istanbul, 13.03.1943 @ 1439 hours, arrived Rome @ 1850.

Summary statement: Requests intervention for Slovakian Jewish children to get to Palestine.

Language: Italian

Text:

The Jewish Agency for Palestine representative, Mr Kapl (sic) asked me to communicate the following: some 20,000 Slovak Jews run the risk of deportation to Poland by the end of March (2).  They appeal to the Holy Father to intervene with the government to prevent this measure … to get 1,000 (?) Jewish children for emigration to Palestine in accordance with the authorisation of the English (3) … and allow them transit through Turkey.  They ask the indulgence of the Slovak government and Hungary as well to grant essential temporary stays for the children.  The Jewish Agency will provide everything; urgent intervention.(4)  Report to follow. 

Micossi’s trip to Beirut continues on Monday.(5)

Cross references: 

(1) It should read “Kaplan”.  Eliezer Kaplan (1891-1952) was head of finance for the Jewish Agency for Palestine.

(2) See ADSS 9.85 & 87.

(3) See ADSS 9.94.

(4) See ADSS 9.172.

(5) Giuseppe Micossi (1909-2009), secretary of the Apostolic Delegation in Beirut.

ADSS 9.86, 87, 89, 95, 96: the remnant 20,000 Slovak Jews

The belief that the remainder of the Slovak Jews, about 20,000, were in imminent danger of deportation, prompted a number of telegrams and reports sent to and from Bratislava, Istanbul and Budapest to Rome.  What is of particular interest is the level of knowledge the Vatican possessed at this point - March 1943.  Reading the documents one notices that it is accepted or presumed knowledge that hundreds of thousands of Jews, especially Polish Jews, are dead at the hands of the Germans.  It is also presumed knowledge that "deportation" would mean eventual and certain death.


The situation in Slovakia had raised hopes among Jewish organisations as well as some active Catholics that the Vatican could influence Tiso's government through direct appeal.  The Holy See knew from Giuseppe Burzio's earlier report (ADSS 9.85) of 07.03.1943 that a significant number of clergy were opposed to the government's anti-Jewish laws and actions and one bishop at least had called for Tiso to be removed from the priesthood.  Over the next week pressure continued to build.


ADSS 9.86  Margit Slachta, the Hungarian foundress of the Sisters of Social Service came to Rome to plead for the Slovakian Jews in the first week of March before going to Switzerland to appeal to the Red Cross.  Her visit on 08.03.1943 was met with the standard response that the Vatican was doing all it could, even though in the notes taken the writer observed that Sister Margit did not appear satisfied.  Slachta worked tirelessly for the rest of the war working to save Jews.


ADSS 9.87  Cardinal Maglione wrote to the charge d'affaires in Bratislava on 09.03.1943, Giuseppe Burzio urging him to take all necessary steps to prevent the deportations should the rumours prove true.


ADSS 9.89 Burzio wrote to Maglione on 11.03.1943 that the deportations would most likely still go ahead but not at the moment.  More information was not possible because government officials were "evasive" in their answers to Burzio's questions.


ADSS 9.95-96  On 13.03.1943 Angelo Roncalli, Apostolic Delegate in Turkey wrote on behalf of Eliezer Kaplan, from the Jewish Agency for Palestine appealing for the help of the pope to get two thousand Jewish children out of Slovakia and on their way to Palestine via Hungary and Turkey.  Roncalli had been assured that the Agency possessed British approved certificates for Palestine.  Confirmation of British permission for Jewish children to go to Palestine had been telegraphed to Rome less than an hour before Roncalli's first message arrived. (See ADSS 9.94)


The outcome of the appeals from the Vatican were mixed.  Deportations were suspended indefinitely, but appeals for Jewish children came to nought.  Cardinal Maglione cabled Roncalli on 04.05.1943 to say that the Holy See had intervened several times, especially for Jewish children.


However, there was another problem emerging.  Making appeals to governments to stop the deportation and murder of Jews was one thing; supporting the emigration of Jews to Palestine even if that would clearly save lives, was another.  Even in the middle of the Holocaust, concerns that supporting Jewish emigration to Palestine would eventually create new problems with regard to access to the Christian holy places were not far from the surface.  I shall return to this later.(See ADSS 9.136)


I will post the documents in the next several posts.