Vienna.
Charges made by the League of Jewish Front Soldiers in Austria of “a system which seeks to strangle the Jews in the same way as in the Third Reich” have aroused much interest and comment here, coming as they did on the eve of a visit of a delegation of members of the British Legion headed by Major Brunel Cohen, honorary treasurer of the British Legion, who lost both legs in the War.
The Judische Front, official organ of the Austrian league, reporting two cases of gross discrimination against Jews—one of them involving a Jewish war hero—protests that these are not isolated instances but are symptomatic of a general condition and system.
The first case cited by the paper was that of a member of the League who had been house surgeon under contract for a home for the aged and an orphanage. He was suddenly dismissed and told that the action was taken because he was a Jew.
“The notification by the superior authorities also states that he was dismissed because of his membership in the Jewish race,” the paper reports. “He tells us further that he was dependent upon the small salary that he received in the institution, that he has never taken part in political activity, that he is a member of the Fatherland Front, was on active service for three years during the War, two years uninterruptedly in the field, and holds the Silver Medal for Valor, the Bronze Medal for Valor, the Karl Military Cross and the Golden Service Cross and Band for Valor.
“These are the dry facts of one concrete case. It is interesting in this connection to draw attention to a second case which occurred these last few days. The question concerned the admission of a boy to a Vienna grammar school. The director asked the boy’s origin and the father explained that the maternal grandparents were Jews. The director thereupon refused to admit the boy, saying that the school was only for pure ‘Aryan’ children.
“Chancellor Dr. von Schuschnigg repeatedly declared in public here and abroad that the equality of the rights of the Jews in Austria is not restricted, that it is not only firmly anchored in the Austrian Constitution, but is part of the tradition of Austrian culture. Other members of the government have made similar declarations.
“As front soldiers, we have never doubted the honesty of the statement made by our Government of Front Fighters, and we have considered such occurrences as we have described as infringements by the subordinate officials. There is, however, such a large accumulation of such cases, extending to all spheres of economic life, that it is clear that these are not isolated cases, but a system which seeks to strangle the Jews in the same way as in the Third Reich.
“We consider it therefore not only our right, but our duty as front soldiers to raise our voice honestly and openly in the protection of our coreligionists. We do this not only as upright men and proud Jews, but above all as good Austrians and loyal sons of this land for which we have bled and whose weal and woe is much more at our heart than at the heart of those who have made it their aim to exterminate Austrian Jewry.
“It is incredible to us that authoritative quarters have not yet recognized what purpose is being pursued by these sabotagers of Austrian unity, as the Chancellor has described them. They seek nothing more than to sow dissension in the ranks of loyal Austrians. Their fight goes much further than only against the Jews. That is demonstrated by the situation in the Third Reich. The fight is carried on along the line of least resistance in order to be afterwards carried further.
“To National Socialism, Rome is no less hated than Judea. In the centuries of Jewish martyrdom, we have learnt that attacks against Jews succeed only when official quarters have actively promoted them or passively tolerated them. Where a government has with determination stood out against such attacks, they have soon been stopped. These are facts which are known not only to us who have been affected, but to all reasonably thinking people.
“We are too much attached to our Fatherland Austria to stand by passively when the good name and the prestige of our homeland and the economic credit of our Austrian Fatherland are imperilled,” it concludes.
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.
