South Africans Resent Premier’s Plea to Keep on Buying Goods in Germany

Resentment at the action of Premier Hertzog Saturday in appealing to the Jews of South Africa not to prosecute a boycott against Germany stirred the South African Jewish community today and drew much criticism to the premier from non-Jewish as well as from Jewish citizens. Indignation was expressed at the premier’s attitude that South Africans had no basis for protesting over the way “a state treats its own nationals.”

“The premier must always receive the respectful attention of the citizens,” Morris Kentridge, a member of parliament, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “At the same time it cannot be regarded as unreasonable or harmful for South Africa if the Jewish people are impelled with justifiable resentment and ordinary self-respect, to refuse to have commercial relations with a country which refuses to have anything to do with Jews.”

Profound dissent from the views registered by Premier Hertzog was expressed by Tielman Roos, leading South African statesman.

“It must always remain the duty of civilization to protest against methods of cruelty and oppression,” he declared. “He attacked the South African Government for its stand and concluded that “the interests of the oppressed and of Germany itself, necessitate condemnation of the present attitude against minorities.”