Purely Commentary

We Were Not Silent—When Home Front Was

Infested With Lies Emanating from Germany

By Philip
Slomovitz

six deputies of Jewish descent, ported to be a Jewish link with hold on the universities, the over-
communism.
whelming influence of the Jews
all Social Democrats.
The truth is that not a single in cultural life? After the emanci-
FURTHER CORRECTIONS
The editor of this publication fairly well-known Jew in Germany pation of Jews in Germany about
points out that these figures are was ever identified with the Com- a hundred years ago the civil
based on facts of origin and not munist Party there. There was service and many of the learned
on religious affiliations, thus defi- only one Jew among the 70 Com- professions remained closed t&
nitely disproving the charge of munist deputies in the Reichstag them. Jewish intellectuals con'
Jewish influence in the govern- in 1930 and not a single Jew in only become doctors, lawyers,
ment in the days of the republic. the 81 Communist deputies of the journalists.
Reichstag of 1933.
"Thus the percentage of Jews
In so far as Jewish influence in
in these walks of life was higher
commerce and industry is con- BRITISH WEEKLY QUOTED
It is important to emphasize than the percentage of Jews
cerned, we wish further to correct
the Nazi claims. Mr. Gore's in- that while there were less than among the whole German popula-
300,000 German • Jewish voters, tion. But since the Jews had to
formant told him:
there were fully 6,000,000 Commu-
"In commerce 314 Jews and only nist votes cast during the days of compete freely and enjoyed no
37 Germans of every 1,000 were the Republic and, therefore, to legal or extra-legal privileges
in executive positions. In second- identify the Communist Party with there is surely no cause for com-
ary executive positions were 207 Jews is a gross misrepresentation plaint.
An Incident of Resistance on OUR Front
"But Nazi propaganda speaks of
Jews as against 71 Germans. In
When the time required it, did WE, here, resist? There is in public administration, law and the of fact and truth.
a Jewish monopoly and complains
our records, an experience that needs recapitulating.
Perhaps the most effective set that non-Jewish Germans were un-
learned professions 27 Jews in
In 1936, a very honorable and very distinguished newspaperman, every 1,000 were leaders as of figures disproving Nazi charges able to find a place in these pro-
the late Russell Gore, returned from a three-month stay in Nazi against only five Germans. In was published in the Manchester fessions. A glance at the official
Germany, and in his published reports he did a lot of quoting. It is sanitation and public welfare Jews Guardian Weekly a short time statistics proves the contrary.
understandable that the things that were said were not very nice. predominated in positions of au- ago. This statement is so signifi-
"The highest Jewish percentage
They were damaging to us. They disturbed us.
thority in the proportion of 28 to cant with reference to the accusa- was among the lawyers (there is
I felt that the charges had to be answered. Who did one go to
tions made by the informer quoted no distinction betw Pint banis-
in those years? Fred Magnus Butzel. I did just that. I said: "Fred,
by Mr. Gore that we deem it of ters and solicitors in Germany),
The
fact
is
that,
according
to
these charges must be refuted." Fred was his usual self: "Don't
sufifcient importance to attach it amounting to 16.25. The percen-
statistics
for
1925,
out
of
every
become panicky," said he, "Hitler, too, will pass." Indeed, there were
to this letter. The Manchester tage of Jewish doctor was 10.88.
too many, in and out of Germany, who were overconfident, who 1,000 persons engaged in commer- Guardian Weekly's statement fol- Of the state-appointed lawyers
cial
activities
970
were
non-Jews
misjudged the trend of that era.
lows:
(judges, magistrates and state at-
Upon my return to my cramped office I sat down and wrote a and 30 were Jews. Figures for the
"Nazi propaganda abroad al- torneys) no more than 2.76 per
same
year
show
that
out
of
every
reply. My sister-in-law, Mildred Gandal, now Mrs. Israel Max Gold-
Germans engaged independ- leges three main reasons for the cent were Jews.
man, the wife of the distinguished Baltimore rabbi, then was visiting 1,000
"What about the stranglehold of
ently
in shop-keeping, 75 were anti-Jewish policy of the parly:
with us from Cleveland. She was a mere youngster. I made copies
`Almost all Communists, or at the Jews on the universities? The
Jews
and
925 non-Jews.
of my prepared reply, gave them to her—the young stranger in
least the Communist leaders, were percentage here was 2.64. The per-
our town—and asked her to get signatures to the statement. I asked PROFESSIONS EXAMINED
centage of Jews among the teach-
Jews.
The
figures
for
1925
also
show
her first to go to Butzel and he signed: "Oh, if that's the way you
ers in the elementary and sec-
`After
the
World
War
hundreds
that
out
of
a
total
of
236,000
Ger-
feel, go ahead." It was the typical way with Butzel: he often dis-
ondary schools was no higher than
agreed, but went along. The others to whom the statement was pre- mans listed as occupied in bank- of thousands of East European 0.53.
sented signed it. Mildred then took it to Gore and on Sunday, Aug. 23, ing and stock exchange activities, Jews with a low standard of mor- STRANGLEHOLD REFUTED
1936, under the streamer headline DETROIT JEWS ANSWER NAZI 7,509 were Jews, which means that als and culture invaded Germany
"And in cultural life? The fig-
PERSECUTION DEFENSE—with two subheads, " `Stranglehold' only 33 out of every 1,000 were like a swarm of locusts, devouring ures show that 5.61 ncr cent of
the
wealth
of
the
country.
Charges Depicted as Absurdities" and "Russell Gore's Article in Sun- Jews.
`The Jews of Germany monopo- the producers in the theaters were
day News Elicits Statement Attacking Official Exposition of Ger-
In the legal profession, statis-
lized
the professions of law and Jews, 3 per cent of the actors and
man Policy"—appeared the following:
tics show that in 1925 there were medicine,
had a strangle hold on dancers, 2.04 per cent of the musi-
0
2,900 Jews out of a total of 13,579 the civil service
and the universi- cians and singers, 2.5 per cent of
To the Editor: The undersigned
and in 1933 there were 3,500 Jewish
are personally so deeply appre- nation came to an exceptional ex- lawyers out of a total of 16,000. ties, and left no breathing space the booksellers, 2.44 nPr cent of
non-Jewish Germans in cul- the painters and sP9Intors, and
ciative of the fair editorial attitude tent under Jewish influence.
the medical profession in the for
"Germany formerly was a trans- In
tural
life; , for example, on the 5.05 per cent of editors and au-
consistently pursued by The De-
begining of 1933,it is estimated
troit News in all matters affecting sient station for millions of east- that out of the total number of stage, in literature, or on the con- thors. This is neither a strangehold
nor a monopoly.
the Jewish people, and especially ern Jews, who in many cases 52,000 physicians, 8,000 were Jews. cert platform.'
'The statistics do not. of course,
with regard to the tragic German- wandered on after the second gen-
SPECIAL
STUDY
AVAILABLE
Comparable statistics listing the
contain anything about Jewish par-
Jewish situation, that we wish at eration. In and after 1918 this
"Herr
Hitler,
in
an
interview
of Jews in the theater
ticipation in the ComMonist Party,
the outset to utilize this oppor- condition altered because the So- number
similarly belie the claims of the given to the Birtish and American
tunity to express to you our sin- cial Democratic republic assisted Nazis. According to figures for press a few weeks ago, com- but here also the Nazi allegations
cere gratitude for your evident their immigration to an enfran- 1925, the percentage of Jews em- plained that after the war, when are completely unfounded. In
those districts where a large num-
desire to be fair and unbiased. chisement in Germany."
ployed in the field of theater and the German officers had to leave
We believe that we echo the senti-
What are the facts? Official Ger- music was 2.4 per cent of 24 Jews the army, they found all the pro- ber of Jews used to live the Com-
ments of the vast number of our man census figures for 1925 show out of every 1,000 employed in this fessions and all the posts in the munist vote in democratic times
fellow Jews in Detroit in express- that out of a total population of field. It is estimated by experts cultural life of the country filled was particularly low. And of the
ing our appreciation of such jour- 62,410,619 there were 564,379 Jews, that the 10 Jews out of the 50 lead- by Jews, and these officers, who hundred Communist members in
nalistic fairness.
or nine-tenths of one per cent of big actors had acquired such wide had been fighting for Germany, the last freely elected Reichstag
only two were of Jewish origin
We wish, at the same time, to the entire population. The same fame beyond the frontiers of had to sweep the streets in order and only one of the two was of
assure you that we are not un- official figures show that of the Germany that their prominence to gain a livelihood.
"Wirtschaft and Statisk, the of- any importance in the party."
mindful of the lack of bias which 564,379 Jews, 485,000 were native speaks for itself.
Most regrettable about Mr. Rus-
ficial
statistical organ of the
and
79,000
were
foreign-born.
The
motivated the excellent series of
It is of similar importance to German government, has now pub- sell Gore's article in last Sun-
same
official
census
indicates
that
articles written for The News by
day's News is the photograph of a
quote statistics regarding Jewish
Mr. Russell Gore. We have felt the number of foreign-born Jews influence in journalism. According lished a special study on the Jews person labeled "Jewish domi-
throughout that he was moved. before the war approximated 40,- to the Hand Book of the German in Germany based on the results nance" and showing strings at-
of the censuses of 1910, 1925 and
merely by a desire to be fair and 000.
Daily Press. there were in 1932, 1933, which reduces these allega- tached to every important htt
just in recording what he had LABELED AS FICTION
endeavor, implying that Jews
out of a total of 4,703 German po-
to their true proportions.
learned and what information he
It is clear from these figures litical newspapers, 1,266 conserva- tions
"Instead of hundreds of thous- tually dominate the world.
gathered during his three months that the additional number of for- tive with semi-anti-Jewish trends,
it is possible to quote a prin
stay in Nazi Germany.
eign-born who settled in Germany 603 Catholic, 378 leftist and 2,456 ands of East European Jews these statement, it is impossible to quote
official
statistics
reveal
that
be-
We are compelled, however, in since the Armistice is approxi- neutral.
tween 1910 (four years before the a drawing and the use of this il-
the interest of truth, to address mately 39,000. To state, therefore,
war) and 1925 (seven years after lustration with Mr. Gore's article
this letter to you in order to point that Germany formerly was a PROPORTIONS STATED
It is obvious that only in excep- the war) the total number of Jew- is the one act of injustice which
out the untruths contained in the transient station for millions of
we can ascribe to The Detroit
Nazi official explanation of the eastern Jews is not merely a gross tional cases were there Jewish ish immigrants into Germany— News.
editors
of
conservative
papers:
and
these
immigrants
included
reasons for the persecution of misrepresentation, but is pure fic-
We trust that in the interests of
Jews as reported by Mr. Gore in tion, which, unfortunately, may there certainly could have been both East and West European truth The Detroit News will print
no Jews as editors of Catholic Jews — did not exceed 31,000
his article last Sunday.
he taken for fact by the unin- papers. Even the great majority
"Between 1925 and 1933, 9,000 of this statement of ours as a reply
We are especially moved to formed.
of
the
left
papers
had
no
Jewish
them
had left the country again. to the quoted arguments of the
write this statement because of
The Nazi official quoted by Mi. editors and there were only 20 There were thus no more than a Nazi officials.
the danger that constant emphasis Gore proceeds to make the charge
Faithfully yours,
on untruths and their constant that the Jews were exceptionally Jewish editors among the 400 net 22,000 foreign Jewish immi-
radical
papers.
Of
the
85
most
a
popu-
among
grants
in
23
years
FRED M. BUTZEL
repetition might have the tendency powerful in the Reichstag; that
JAMES I. ELLMAN
to represent such lies as facts in their influence spread in the press, prominent German newspapers lation of 67,000,000. The devouring
KURT PEISER
the eyes of the average reader. in the theater, in art, in university only 10 had Jewish editors-in-chief. hordes are a myth.
The same proportion runs in the SEE NO CAUSE FOR
SIMON SHETZER
The quotation at great length of life, in banking, trade and com-
field of education. Of the 4,958 uni- COMPLAINT
RABBI LEON FRAM
a statement by a Nazi official is merce. What are the facts?
versity teachers in 1925, about 200,
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
"What about the monopolizing
not easily disproved and discred-
The 1933 edition of Kuerschner's or 4 per cent, were Jews. In Prus- of the professions, the strangle-
DORA B. EHRLICH
ited by later references to it as
being "incredible" and "improb- Volkshandbuch Deutscher Reich- sia and Saxony in 1925, out of
This, too, was resistance. Too many Americans, otherwise fair-
stag, 1933, a semi-official publica- 3,050 teachers listed, 125, or 4.7
able." That is not sufficient.
minded, were ready to listen to the German argument. Too many Jews
tion,
which
was
issued
after
the
per
cent,
were
Jews.
In
the
field
OFFICIAL REQUOTED
complacent. Even a reply to a newspaper's misstatement of facts
Mr. Gore's article quotes "a elections of March 5, 1933, when of education as a whole the 1925 were resistance.
Louis Marshall's protest against the use of the swastika
high Nazi official" as having told Hitler was already in power, census showed that out of a total was
by the NAACP, as far back as 1924, when Hitler already had adopted
cent,
were
showed
that
in
the
Reichstag
of
of
21,700,
270,
or
1.3
per
him:
the symbol for his flag (see our review of Morton Rosenstock's "Louis
"The present happenings in Ger- 1930, during the days of the re- Jews.
Marshall" in last week's Jewish News), was an act of resentment
Aside
from
the
myth
that
is
public
which
is
charged
by
the
many are a reaction to the situa-
against the use of anti-Semitic emblems that revile us.
tion which has arisen since 1918. Nazis to acquire too much influ- brought up of Jewish domination—
In our records are other incidents. Before the Russell Gore articles,
charge which is in itself an in-
The position of the Jews in Ger- ence, there was the following ap- a
in 1934, the late Bishop Michael J. Gallagher, just back from Germany,
sult
to
the
German
people
rather
portionment
of
Jews
in
the
Reich-
many altered entirely after that
than the Jews because of the im- brought back a report that German-Jewish groups disassociated them-
date, politically as well as eco- stag:
Out of the total of 576 deputies plication that les than 1 per cent selves from the actions of Jews outside Germany "and pleaded to be
nomically. It was then that the
left alone to fight their own battles." He was referring to statements
intellectual and political life of the there were 13 members of Jewish of the population is able to domi- that were made by the League of German Nationalist Jews. Bishop
descent-11 Social Democrats, one nate the remaining 99 per cent—
Communist and one Democrat. In Mr. Gore's informer made it a Gallagher claimed in his statements that "the Jews of Germany will
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
(Continued on Page 3)
the Reichstag of 1933 there were point to emphasize what is pur-
2—Friday, February 11, 1966

Resistance ... Then, Now, in the Future

There is a resurgence of Nazi ideologies in many areas. There
are more anti-Semitic incidents in this country than there have been
in many years. The Nazi spirit re-emerges only too frequently in
Germany. The Austrian anti-Jewishness is ugly. The Russians taunt
Jews.
We'll survive them as we have survived in the past. It is not in
fear for the future that we affirm the existence of the hatred that
appears as imperishable as the people it would like to destroy.
But through the ages, while the heroism of the Jew has been
spiritually unmatched, Jews have been accused of cowardice. Now
the charges frequently are repeated that Jews did not resist under
Nazism. It is a debatable issue, yet the evidence of a great resistance
often mounts.
It is because there is need to resist now, whenever dangers face
us, and because there must be preparation for resistance whenever
it is required for the people's dignity and self-respect, that we must
often benefit from experience.