GERMAN JEWS

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 35, 11 February 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

GERMAN JEWS

THE first Jews came to Germany about the year 700 A.D., but most of those now in the Reich arrived at a much later date, and very many acquired German nationality in post-war but pre-Hitler days for as little as £2 1 0/. Perhaps some of them now wish they had not done so.

It seems strange to us to think that the Jews once suffered banishment in England, and were, in fact, alternately driven out by almost every nation in Europe. But in those days, no one needed a passport to leave one country for another. He just, packed his bag or rolled up his bundle and crossed the nearest frontier, to which no one appeared to have any objection. Of course, to balance the speedy frontier crossings there was the slow progress on horseback or by coach, as compared with aeroplanes and big liners in our own time. When I was in Spain before any of the recent revolutions took place, it was still illegal for any Jew to own landed property there.

Germany has now about 700.000 Jews, of whom all, or practically all, speak German. This is a factor 'of note, for the Jews in many lands do not speak the local language well, but converse among themselves in Yiddish. This is a kind of medieval German with a big admixture of Hebrew and words and I rases from almost every known tongue. But the basis is undoubtedly old-Gem l 1. This is written in Hebrew letters, re..d from right to left. Most people who see this writing erroneously believe it to be Hebrew. Jews no more speak Hebrew than Catholics do Latin. The comparison is excellent, for Hebrew is the classical language of the Jews. Only the rabbis understand it, o ? course, and I would defy even them to ask for a second helping of lemoncheese tart in Hebrew!

In Pre-Hitler Days Between 1919 and 1932, the Jews, who had not been treated as equals in the Kaiser's days, although some were given the predicate of nobility ("von"), and a few even presented with a barony (it was impossible for them to attain the rank of Count upwards, however), mixed freely with the German people, so far as the latter permitted it. There was no

distinction by law. Most Jewish fathers objected, to their children marrying Gentiles, and most Germans reciprocated. In politics, the Jews were very active in most parties. The Communist party, the Social Democrat party,, and the many email groups all showed a percentage of Jews out of all proportion to the number of Jewish inhabitants.

When 1933 came, both Berlin's big stores were in Jewish hands as were practically all chain stores (except an American concern), and most of the bigger shops. Over half the leading professional men were also Jews. It was not very easy for an anti-Semite to find a German medical man in his vicinity if he lived in the more expensive residential part of Berlin. Even on November 8, whole rows of phops in the most expensive streets were in Jewish hands. \

The National Socialists began by barring tlie Jews from State, Press and University. Then gradually came disqualification in the professions. First Jews could not be notaries, and recently Jewish doctors were only permitted to treat patients of their own race. The film. stage and schools were barred to Jews. '1 lie Germans claim that the Jews had taken all the "plums" before 1933, and that they were compelled to do something to protect themselves. It is true that the Jews held a very high percentage of the good posts, although they only made up one per cent of the population. This came about in former days because a Jewish business man, for example, engaged for preference one of his own race when a better position was under consideration. There is no doubt whatever of this. And the reaction was correspondingly bitter. The Jews say that it is absurd to be angry with them just because they are "cleverer than the others, and can thus fill the leading posts better," but the Germans assert they obtained the posts by "eraftines#, and "not by ability." The Jews, too, with verv f»w exceptions, had always been bitter opponents of national movements in the Reich. It one of the points 011 the National Socialist programme to eliminate the Jews from the State control and from control generally. More recently, many Jews who had fled from Germany in 1933, retilrned. More bad feeling arose when it became known that Sehuschnigg, the Austrian ex-Chancellor, had had Jewish support against the Anschluss. The murder of Wilhelm Gustloff in Switzerland also served to widen the gulf. Frankfurter

A View From Berlin

ByBertram de Colonna

shot Gustloff, although he had never known him. The German Government retaliated by forbidding Jewish cultural performances (films, theatres, etc), for some weeks. Then came the attack on Ernst von Rath in Paris. Rath was a very agreeable young man, who had no personal enemies. Grynszpan, the youthful assassin, admitted that he had no grudge against him, but wanted to hit Germany. Indeed, murderer and victim had never met before, nor had they heard of each other's existence. I went to the Propaganda Ministry in Berlin, and Dr. Goebbels stated that there was undoubtedly a great similarity between the murders of Gustloff and Rath. He claimed that this was a Jewish plot to disturb Germany's good relations with her neighbours, and that the Jews in Germany were collectively responsible because they had taken every opportunity to incite people abroad against the Reich. This is the view of the National Socialists, and they decided to impose further legal restrictions on the Jews after Rath's death and the anti-Jewish demonstrations, during which most of the windows of Jew-owned shops were broken and some synagogues set on fire. The National Socialists also sav that it is absurd to speak of the "poor Jews" since 700,000 Jews own £80,000,000 in Germany. This sum did not include the sums their businesses may fetch before January 1, 1939, but I imagine that no high prices will be

paid. There is now no goodwill to buy, but the stock will be sold. Another Minister. Dr. Funk, remarked some days after the Jewish action that after the Aryanisation five thousand millions remained in the hands of Jews. This latter figure (the lowest yet quoted) would leave about £600 sterling in the hands of cach Jew or an average of £2400 per family of four persons. The latter sum, invested at five per cent, would result in an average income per four-head family of £120 per annum, and corresponds to the income of minor clerks.

Theoretically, there is 7iothin<* to pn vent Jews from beiri£ <riven positioi outside management, but it is not yt possible to say whether they will I employed in actual practice.

Other points from the official German view are that the average German Jew still owns much more than the average German Aryan, and that the treatment of the Jews in Germany "compares favourably with that of the Arabs in Palestine, wiiere villages have been

destroyed because an Arab • fired shots without harming anybody." r Dr. Goebbels has said that the future s of the Jews depends upon tlicir own e behaviour. At present, many Jews are - anxious to leave the Reich—some, a - Frenchman toM. me, had tried various i ways of entering France without perf mission, including an attempt to make r an improvised tunnel at tlie frontier— i, and the Germans are quitre willing to t agree to this. German Jews are given 1 passports if they emigrate. But other lands are not anxious to take them. The question of some territory which

re- can be placed at the disposal of Jews ms from various parts of the world is beet coming more acute, and it seems fairly be certain that it will have to be faced by the Powers sooner or later.