Dublin.
The Jewish community has been somewhat disturbed by events in the country during the last few months. There was, in the first instance, the Toller incident. Ernst Toller was invited by a local organization known as the Anti-Fascist League to speak on conditions in Germany. The meeting took place but the speaker was not present, an announcement being made from the platform that the government had refused him admittance.
The facts of the case as afterwards ascertained were that he was informed by someone in touch with the Free State High Commissioner in London that it would be inadvisable for him to come to Dublin to speak on the political situation in Germany. At this time a German delegation was discussing a trade agreement with the Free State and it is very possible that the meeting was looked upon by the delegation with disfavor. It is likely, too, that in the circumstances the government did not wish to offend the delegation and thus Herr Toller was advised to stay away.
This in itself would have been of little significance so far as the Jewish community was concerned, but the newspapers were at pains to point out that there was a large number of Jews present at the meeting. Naturally, they were interested in conditions in Germany as was likewise the great part of the audience. Professors and students from the universities of Dublin as well as the working classes composed this audience which had hoped to hear the great dramatist speak.
The Catholic Mind, however, applauding the government decision not to allow Toller, Jew and Communist, to enter the country just as it had refused admittance to Trotsky, Jew and Communist, made great case of the number of Jews present at the meeting which Toller was to have addressed, as proof of the identical aims of Jews and Communists.
This is part of a definite campaign on the part of several Catholic papers in this country to identify Communism with Judaism. From time to time there are editorials to this effect in The Cross and prolonged correspondence on the subject was recently welcomed in the Irish Independent. Actually there is hardly a single Jew in any Communist organization in Ireland. The Anti-Fascist League is an entirely Irish organization.
Another disquieting feature is the establishment of an organization known as “Aontas Gaedheal” with its slogan, “Ireland for the Irish.” The organizers of this body have not published their names, preferring to remain anonymous. A public open-air meeting was held recently under its auspices and pamphlets outlining its objects distributed. It aims at excluding all foreigners from the commercial life of the country and specifies such occupations as instalment selling establishments and individual moneylenders as being occupations mainly in the hands of foreigners. While the term “foreigner” as used here may apply equally to Hottentots as to Welshmen or to Englishmen, it was made abundantly clear by the speeches at this meeting that Jews were the “foreigners” specified.
There is, of course, no distinction whatever in the Free State as regards the rights of citizenship of all residents no matter what their race or creed. On the contrary, both the governments which have been in power since establishment of the Free State, have shown that the minority religions here may expect the fairest consideration even to the extent of their receiving government posts and seats in the Senate in a greater proportion than their numbers would justify. There is no question of any nervousness as regards specialized legislation by the government so far as minorities are concerned.
The fact that there are several irregular organizations in the country under the cover of which it is possible for various unprincipled individuals to exercise personal malice, makes for uneasiness when the type of agitation indulged in by “Aontas Gaedhael” is rampant. The almost complete elimination of General O’Duffy from the field of practical politics seemed to have discredited the European Fascism upon which the Blueshirts modelled themselves. The new organization, without the semi-military appanages of the Blueshirts, would appear to have taken up the narrow racial nationalism of the Nazis only; of course, so far as the exclusion of Jews is concerned.
At the present time, however, Dublin is too preoccupied with the latest political developments and labor problems for it to give ear to any suggestive “drive” against foreigners. It recognizes too many real problems to be met without the conjuring up of new scares.
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.
