`Diary of a German Soldier' Shows UAIIC Issues Impressive Comparative
How Nazis Glorified in Brutalities Work on Judaism and World's Religions
How does the Nazi mind work?
What makes a Hitler adherent
go about the business of destroy-
ing lives and following orders
without the slightest disturbance
of his conscience?
In spite of the mass of mo-
terial already published on the
subject, "Diary of a German
Soldier," by Wilhelm Prueller,
published by Coward - McCann
(200 Madison, NY16), is valu-
able as a provider of data on
the thinking of the common
soldier.
Out of the day-to-day account
recorded by the Nazi soldier
emerges an understanding of
his thinking. He is not a rowdy,
but a good and devoted family
man. But his thinking is along
the lines of German submission
to domination and to orders
from above, while harboring a
wish to advance the system to
which they dedicated them-
selves.
There is no doubt that the
mind of a Prueller, like that
of Eichmann, was not merely
to follow orders but also to
be part of a scheme that will
secure domination for their
army, for their country. There
is something inhuman in these
approaches.
In his introduction to this
diary, Robert Leckie makes a
very interesting point. He as-
serts that Prueller "gives us a
measure of how completely the
Nazi shibboleths had captured
the minds and hearts of Hitler's
most ordinary followers. It is
as though people such as Wil-
helm Prueller were looking for
Nazism before it came along, as
though if it had not happened
by, they would have invented it.
All its brutalities and boastings
are joys to Prueller's heart."
Edited by H. C. Robbins Lan-
don and Sebastian Leitner, in an
English translation by Landon,
the contents of the Nazi's diary
contain descriptions of his ex-
periences during the Polish cam-
paign, during which he was a
war prisoner, the wars in the
West, the Balkans and against
the Soviet Union and the final
phase.
An able writer, the Nazi sol-
dier to the end of his diary
wrote with passion in support
of the Hitler policies, shouting
"Heil Hitler," asking adherence
to the Fuehrer, admonishing the
Germans who had just sworn
loyalty to National Socialism
not to "throw away your lives
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June 22, 1941, in the chapter live together without sacrificin g
dealing with the war against
the Soviet Union, he wrote: their respective beliefs, with
"In Tschenstochov and in emphasis on how the Jewish
other large towns too, the faith respects the non-Jew and
Jews are herded together in a affirm that he, too, "can • know
particular part of the town— God."
In "Our Religion and Our
like our former Judengasse in
Vienna. When they go out Neighbors," published by the
they (man or woman) have to Union of American Hebrew Con-
wear a white armband and a gregations, the two rabbis have
blue star of Zion on it. That's incorporated every aspect of
the way it should be in the inter-faith relations and have
analyzed the reaction of Jews
whole world!"
What is one to expect from to those of other faiths by ex-
such thinking? The entire diary plaining the latter in relation
proves the brutality of the Nazi to Judaism.
mind, the unflinching dedication
Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz,
to terror, as in the instance, re- the editor of the UAHC com-
corded by Prueller, of the round- mission on Jewish education, in
ing up and shooting of 20 Negro an editorial note, indicates that:
prisoners who had mutinied "It is one thing to reject idola-
against the Germans. There is try . . . it is another to say
never a qualm of conscience in heathens cannot know God.
what the Nazi tells us in his This Judaism does not say . . .
diary.
it has continually affirmed that
It's amazing what the young the non-Jew can know God."
Germans swallowed! For in-
Thus, the UAHC volume ex-
stance, Prueller wrote: "The po-
litical doctrine of Bolshevism in plains the religions of the world
no way represents a scientific to the young Jew of the Re-
theory; it is but a purely politi- form school. This book is in-
cal act of world Jewry. And just tended as a textbook, but it is
as the Talmud teaches nothing filled with so much information,
except murder and destruction, especially in its comparative
so Bolshevism knows but one evaluations of . differing faiths,
science: murder and destruction, that it will serve well as a
cruel and barbaric murder, swift guide for all who seek reading
and certain destruction." Ima- material on Judaism and its
gine how these Nazis accepted sister (daughter) religions.
* * *
all the lies spread by their eld-
There is such a wealth of
ers and spoke about the Talmud
material in this volume that it
as if they had read it!
It is a war between "Teutons should serve not only as a text-
(Germanen) and the Jews" that book for higher grades in the
Prueller envisions—and through- Reform schools but also as an
out his diary there is the single informative source book for
thought of German domination. adults who seek answers on reli-
The editors of this diary, in a gious questions involving Israel's
postscript, describe the back- relations with other faiths.
ground of Prueller, analyze his
Many charts and maps sup-
t h i n k i n g, tell how he had plement the text of this book
brought his manuscript to them which begins with a study of
in 1959, in his native city of the major religions of the world,
Vienna where he now runs a showing that Judaism numbers
small shop selling souvenirs and 1/2% of the total, with 12,750,000
rubber articles. They state that adherents. Topping the list of
"he still believed in it all, hope- eight religious groups is the
lessly and doggedly; believed, Roman Catholic with 537,000,000
too, that what he had done was adherents-211/2% of the total.
honorable and `right'."
The various religions are
Declaring that the Prueller listed by continents, and there
diary is "a grim lesson in how is a division of- the Jews by
to make a first-rate fighter," continents and countries.
Landon and Leitner, the edi-
tors, state that "Prueller's
diary reveals more forcefully
the appalling effectiveness of
the German propaganda mach-
ine on its own nation and the
efficiency with which the Ger-
man army could instil into a
man of reasonable intelligence
the fanaticism necessary for
him to be the excellent sol-
dier he obviously was."
The thinking of the ordinary
German soldier, the Viennese
turned German patriot, the blind
follower of Hitler, is revealed
in all its horrors and in gory
details in Prueller's diary. It
becomes an important bit of evi-
dence in exposing the horrors
of the holocaust. P. S.
*
*
. . . your honor . . ." It is, like
Rabbis Milton G. Miller an d
Eichmann, the Nazi to the end! Sylvan D. Schwartzman hav e
Prueller acquired all the produced a most iinpressiv e
hatreds that went with Nazi work in which they show how
anti-Semitism. Under date of people of differing faiths can
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Technion Sets Record
in Amount of Grants
- Scholarships and grants- total-
ling $600,000 were awarded to
400 students at the Technion,
Israel Institute of Technology,
in Haifa, at a ceremony held
in the Churchill Auditorium at
Technion City. This is the high-
est amount ever allocated for
scholarships at the Technion.
The Dean of Students, Prof.
David Ginsburg, stated that al-
though the number of students
receiving scholarships and
grants this year was not much
higher than last year, the aver-
age amount that went to each
of the students was somewhat
larger.
This yea7 two students in the
Faculty of Chemical Engineer-
ing will receive scholarships ex-
ceeding $3,000 each.
the comparative differences in beliefs in Judaism and the re-
the beliefs of Catholics and ligions of the East and the
Jews. This should serve as a West.
guide for young Jews in facing
"Our Religion and Our Neigh-
up to their own traditional bors" is an impressive work. It
heritage.
Similarly valuable is the de-
scription of the Protestant
revolt, the spread of the Re-
formation, the development of
the numerous Protestant
denominations and the com-
parison of key beliefs between
Protestants and Jews. On this
score, Protestants, too, will find
great value in the M i 11 e r-
Schwartzman volume.
* * *
In the analyses of Jewish
values this book is especially
meritorious. The Written and
Oral Laws, the Mishna and
Talmud, the various periods of
Jewish scholarly developments
are delineated.
The authors describe how
Jews reacted to persecutions.
They. also describe the develop-
ment of the various groupings
significant is the data showing
Canada-Israel Culture
Foundation Is Formed
TORONTO, (JTA)—Establish-
ment of the Canada-Israel Cul-
tural Foundation to help furth-
er cultural activities in Israel
has been announced by Mrs.
Alfred C. Cowan, its chairman.
The foundation will devote it-
self to fostering cultural ex-
changes between Canada and
Israel.
Better not to vow, than to vow
and not pay.—Ecclesiastes 5.
Mr. and Mrs. Hyman Ostrow,
20214 Evergreen, announce the
Bar Mitzvah of their son, Robert,
will be observed Saturday at
Cong. Beth Joseph.
Radomer Board Meets
Radomer Aid and Ladies Soc-
iety will hold an executive
board meeting 8:30 p.m. Monday
at the Workmen's Circle. Mr.
and Mrs. Morris Rosenberg will
be host and hostess.
BEAU JAMES
Will GIVE Your
Bar Mitzvah Boy
The figures given for affi-
liation by Jews in these
groupings are equal for each
—18%—and 46% are rec-
orded as unaffiliated.
The other of the world's
great religions are evaluated,
and the comparisons are given
between Judaism, Islam and the
Eastern faiths.
Supplementing the study is a
list of the Views of the Here-
after, with the comparative
111,
•411.
111■■
.10
•••
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the student in his understand-
ing of religious values. The
Hebrew God-idea, the pro-
phetic teachings, the emer-
gence of a national religion
form part of this dramatic
story.
rise of Catholicism and the de-
velopment of the Roman church
make this book of some value
also to non-Jews. Especially
Bar Mitzvahs I
in Jewry—Reform, Conserva-
tive, Orthodox—and they point
to the developments in the three
factions.
How did religion begin? An
essay describing it, showing
also how religion has de -
veloped many gods, assists
Describing the development
of Judaism, the authors also
show how it became a mission-
ary faith. Describing the birth
of Christianity, they elaborate
on the emergence of Chris-
tianity as a religion separate
from Judaism, and while indicat-
ing the break between the two
they emphasize Christianity's
debt of Judaism.
* * *
Elaborate space. given to the
is without bias, factual, informa-
tive. It is a credit to the Reform
movement that produced it.
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