The sympathy of the Irish Catholic for the persecuted German Jew springs from the fact that the Irish Catholic in the past has suffered from repression; and, as a result, the Free State feels a strong sense of kinship with oppressed Jewry. So declares the Irish Press of Dublin, in an editorial statement published recently.
“In Ireland there have never been acts of hostility to the Jews. This nation has been a place of refuge for the race when it suffered outrage and persecution abroad.
“Our tolerance is the fruit of both peoples having suffered similar repression in the past. More than almost any race on earth we know what it is to be friendless and hunted, and a passionate sympathy goes out from us to the oppressed everywhere.
“We have earned the Jews’ gratitude, and their leaders in this country pay many a tribute to us. One that will be particularly appreciated comes from Cork. The Senior Minister of the Hebrew Congregation there said on Monday:
“I think that the Irish Free State is the country of greatest religious tolerance and liberty in the world. I ascribe this to the fact that the religious atmosphere is cultivated in the minds of the population.”
“We treasure this reputation for fair play and charity, and will preserve it in this and, let us hope, every crisis of the future.”
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.
