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FREE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR 28 April 2022
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27 Nisan 5782
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Issue No.1260
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@JewishNewsUK
PLAITMITZVAH!
It was politicians versus journalists this week at Jewish News’ pre-Shabbat UK challah bake off as MPs Sajid Javid and Angela Rayner battled LBC’s Iain Dale and the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar. Find out who won during Shabbat UK – 13/14 May
‘Britain left us to rot in Belsen’ Survivor accuses UK of leaving fellow expats to mercy of Nazis
A British survivor of Bergen-Belsen has called for greater awareness of hundreds of fellow British expats “left to rot” in Nazi camps during the Second World War due to half-hearted prisoner exchange negotiations, writes Stephen Oryszczuk. As Israel and Jews worldwide mark Yom HaShoah, Jack Santcross, who lives in Hertfordshire, said his family is “still affected by the government’s betrayal” of British citizens who were living on the European mainland when war broke out in September 1939. He accuses Whitehall of “sweeping” their
negotiations did not see much profates “under the carpet” in the gress and, according to scholars years that followed. such as Professor Rainer Bergen-Belsen concentraSchulze at the University of tion camp was set up in the Essex, the British government spring of 1943 on the orders “bears some responsibility” of Holocaust architect Heinfor this. rich Himmler. It was to hold “It regarded proposals from Jews who had been temporarily Nazi Germany for such exchanges exempted from deportation to the as blackmail, and giving into it was extermination camps so they could be exchanged for German citi- Bergen-Belsen survivor unacceptable,” he said. “It also insisted that the zens held abroad. Jack Santcross with most important task of the antiHowever, prisoner exchange his granddaughter
Hitler coalition – and best chance of saving Jews from extermination – was a quick and unconditional victory over Nazi Germany.” Prof Schulze added: “Instead of pushing for serious negotiations to secure the release of as many Jews as possible, the British Foreign Office played for time. “It seems likely that a larger number of Jews held at Bergen-Belsen could have been saved if the negotiations about exchange had been conducted with greater urgency.” Santcross said his family were among those Continued on page 4