Says Reich is Awake to Trade Peril

Germany seems finally to have realized that the destruction of the economic life of the German Jews might entail the destruction of the whole German industrial system, Leonard Montefiore, president of the Anglo-Jewish Association, declared today in addressing a meeting of the organization.

He pointed out that the campaign of the Hago, Nazi organization for combatting Jews in trade, has been followed by a retreat both on the part of the organization and leading Nazi officials. He called attention to recent speeches by Chancellor Hitler and Minister of Justice Frank, both of whom said openly that they would not allow any interference with trade by local Nazi officials or groups.

“Nevertheless,” declared the president of the Anglo-Jewish Association, “there are no indications that the wide-spread anti-Jewish propaganda in Germany is decreasing. Der Stuermer and other Nazi organs are continuing their campaign against firms employing Jews, demanding the dismissal of all Jews, which is impossible to reconcile with official explanations that there is no boycott against the Jews in Germany.

NAZIS ATTACK ALL JEWS

“The glowing indignation against Germany has diminished, but ample cause for indignation exists,” Montefiore declared. “The Jews must realize that the Nazi attacks are directed against Jews in other countries of the world as much as against Jews who had the misfortune to be born in Germany and must continue to live there. We cannot stand aloof from this challenge.

“There is danger that publicity in the foreign press may aggravate the position of the German Jews, since it gives the Nazis the chance to talk about ‘international Jewry.’ This is ludicrous, but we must accept the danger and not allow the case to go by default.

“The suspicion is absurd, for Jewish sentiment toward Germany was very friendly. We are defending not only the Jewish cause, but also liberty of press, speech, person, thought, and everything dear to Western civilization,” Montefiore said.

“No self-respecting Jew will use German goods or services,” the Anglo-Jewish leader continued, “but a public boycott does more harm than good. No doubt German foreign trade has been affected by the boycott, but possibly the loss has been due to fluctuations of the exchange and the tariff barriers. Jewish merchants have undoubtedly contributed to the decline in German trade, but it is impossible to day how much,” Montefiore declared.

Leonard Stein, chairman of the executive committee of the Anglo-Jewish Association, said that while he sympathized with the boycott, he was not of the opinion that Germany’s trade decline was due to the boycott.