Dr. Bartels, who appeared for the Westdeutscher Beobachter, in the libel action brought against it by the Westdeutscher Kaufhof which is accused of being Jewish in spite of the claim that it has been “Aryanized,” declared before the Cologne Court today that the paper is a party organ. If the government is for the time being tolerating department stores, he went on, the struggle of the party against them, however, has not ceased, and new courts are not qualified to sit in judgment on party policies.
Dr. Suesterhein, who appeared for the Kaufhof, produced figures showing that of ninety-one business leaders employed by the Kaufhof sixty-two are Aryan, as compared with only twenty-two previously, proving how far the concern has been “Aryanized.” Taking all the employees of the firm, he went on, only 3.8 per cent are non-“Aryans” compared with 7.9 per cent previously.
The Court has adjourned the case.
The Westdeutscher Beobachter declares: This whole affair will not stop us conducting our campaign as before against department stores and masked Jewish shops, if it seems to us necessary.
The qualified party body and the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry have definitely declared that in their opinion the Jewish influence in the Westdeutscher Kaufhof (formerly Tietz Stores) is still decisive, and therefore whatever the judgment of the Court may be, we regard the matter as settled.
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.
