There are Jews in all the German political parties except in the one Party which has made antisemitism a cardinal point in its programme, and the Jewish Community as such is neutral in political life, Herr Georg Goetz writes in an article in the “Breslauer Juedisch-liberale Zeitung”.
This Jewish neutrality in party politics is a weakness, he contends, because there are certain movements, cultural, justice and peace-loving movements, which are definitely linked with certain political parties, and their adherents are to be found almost exclusively inside those parties. Jewish political neutrality has the result of bringing about a state of affairs in which those Jews who work in these movements, and often are leaders in these movements, are practically always outsiders in Jewish life. The danger is that these movements very frequently have to deal with important matters, and the official Jewish representatives cannot take any part in them.
Pacifism is one instance. The official Jewish view is that individual Jews may do what they wish in this regard, but that official Jewish representatives must stand outside the official pacifist movement to avoid giving fresh fuel to antisemitic agitation.
Pacifism makes progress without the assistance of the official Jewish representatives, and all the leading men in the Governments of all civilised nations have now adopted pacifism as one of the chief points in their programme.
If we consider this matter seriously, Herr Goetz writes, we shall see that we are by standing outside the movement neglecting something of vital importance to all German Jewry.
There are other movements which are the special province of definite parties and their members. The fact is that the desire for justice and liberty is found only in certain definite parties. The same thing applies in many of the organisations battling for economic justice, in matters of hours and wages. Jewish ethics forbid us to stand aside and see the weak oppressed and downtrodden. Yet Jews as such take no part in the movement to secure economic justice. How can we take our stand on the basis of political neutrality?
If we Jews take a definite stand on these questions of the day, Herr Goetz argues, it will help also in the Jewish campaign against antisemitism. The policy of the present Bruening Government is denounced in certain quarters as Jewish Marrxist exploitation. By making public declarations we could make it quite clear that we Jews ourselves are suffering from this policy, and that we, too, are fighting against it.
Furthermore, great numbers of Jewish workers and Jewish employees are drawn by their economic interests into those parties which fight for their interests and because we stand aloof from these vital interests of theirs, they stand aloof from our Jewish community life. If we join them in their battle, we shall re-awaken their interest in Jewish life. It is time, he pleads, for the Jewish Community as such to depart from its policy of neutrality and reserve in regard to the great questions of our time.
The danger of Jewish national and cultural segregation which some may object is likely to follow such a new Jewish attitude to political life can be avoided, Herr Goetz says, by making it clear that a religious group is entitled to take a stand, not only on behalf of its special religious interests but must also adopt a positive attitude in the light of its religion to all the questions of the day, so that religion, ethics and justice should be made effective in every-day life. We shall then not only be demanding equal rights for ourselves as Jews, but we shall also be rendering equal duties and making ourselves a vital factor in the life of the country.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
