CHIEF AIM OF THE CURRENT ANTI-SEMITIC CAMPAIGN IN MEXICO IS TO EXTORT MONEY FROM THE JEWISH POPULATION, A HIGH OFFICIAL DECLARES IN AN INTERVIEW WITH A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LOCAL JEWISH NEWSPAPER, “DER WEG.” HE WARNS THE JEWS, THEREFORE, NOT TO PAY A SINGLE CENT IN TRIBUTE, BECAUSE SUCH ACTION WOULD INEVITABLY LEAD TO FREQUENT RECURRENCES OF ANTI-SEMITIC OUTBURSTS.
AT THE SAME TIME THE JEWISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS BEEN ASSURED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT PERMIT PASSAGE OF ANY DISCRIMINATORY LAWS AGAINST JEWS. THE MINISTER OF INTERIOR, IT WAS POINTED OUT, WILL APPEAR IN THE SENATE AND EXPLAIN THE EXISTING SITUATION IN ORDER TO SHOW THAT THE INFORMATION CURRENTLY CIRCULATED HERE ABOUT THE NUMBER OF JEWS LIVING ILLEGALLY IN MEXICO IS ABSOLUTELY FALSE.
ANTI-SEMITIC AGITATION MEANWHILE IS SPREADING AND BECOMING STRONGER DAILY. A NEW ANTI-JEWISH ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN FORMED HERE. IT IS CALLED THE “NATIONAL FEDERATION OF MARKET TRADERS,” HEADED BY JOSE GODINOS DIAZ. ITS AGENTS CIRCULATE AMONG MEXICAN TRADESMEN AND STIR THEM UP AGAINST FOREIGNERS, URGING THEM TO JOIN THE FEDERATION.
THE NEWSPAPER “GRAPHICA” REPORTS THAT THE “SYNDICALIST FEDERATION OF RETAIL TRADERS” REQUESTED OF THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR THAT ITS MEMBERS BE ALLOWED TO ARREST FOREIGNERS LIVING ILLEGALLY IN MEXICO. THE FEDERATION HAS RECENTLY ORGANIZED ITS OWN “POLICE FORCE” TO DEAL WITH IMMIGRATION MATTERS, AND ASKED THAT IT BE LEGALIZED. THE MINISTRY DID NOT ACCEDE TO THE REQUEST, BUT PROMISED TO STUDY A MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED BY THE ORGANIZATION.
SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THIS AGITATION, A CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN STARTED TO “REFORM” THE IMMIGRATION LAWS OF MEXICO BY CLASSIFYING JEWS AS AN “UNDESIRABLE ELEMENT” AND FORBIDDING THE IMMIGRATION OF ALL JEWS-INCLUDING EVEN THE CHILDREN AND CLOSE RELATIVES OF CITIZENS.
THIS MOVEMENT IS LED BY SENATOR SINALOA RODOLFO T. LOISA, WHO INITIATED IT AFTER THE MINISTER OF INTERIOR HAD ANNOUNCED PUBLICLY THAT ALL IMMIGRATION PERMITS ARE ISSUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW AND THAT NO EXCEPTION COULD BE MADE ON THE BASIS OF RACE OR NATIONALITY.
A JEW-BAITING CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN CARRIED ON RECENTLY IN THE NEWSPAPER “ULTIMAS NATICIAS DE EXCELSIOR,” WHICH PRINTS LETTERS FROM VARIOUS WRITERS, ONE OF WHOM SAYS: “THE DAY IS NOT FAR DISTANT WHEN MEXICO WILL RISE UP AGAINST THE JEWS. MEANWHILE, THE PEOPLE SHOULD LEARN TO RECOGNIZE JEWS WHEN THEY SEE THEM, IN ORDER THAT INNOCENT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT SUFFER.”
THE NEWSPAPER “AMIGO” LISTS A SERIES OF CHARACTERISTICS BY WHICH JEWS MAY BE RECOGNIZED IN THE STREETS.
JOSE VOSCONSELOS, FORMER MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, HAS COME OUT WITH A PECULIAR MIXTURE OF ANTI-SEMITIC AND PRO-JEWISH SENTIMENTS. VOSCONSELOS IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR AUTHORS IN MEXICO, AND HIS WORD CARRIES A GOOD DEAL OF WEIGHT WITH MANY SECTIONS OF THE POPULATION, PARTICULARLY WITH THE CATHOLICS.
IN AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE MAGAZINE “HOY,” HE CHARACTERIZES AS BARBARIC THE PROPOSED ANTI-SEMITIC LAWS, AND STRONGLY CONDEMNS ANTI-JEWISH PROPAGANDA. HE ASSERTS THAT NO COUNTRY HAS EVER GAINED ANYTHING FROM ATTACKING NATIONAL MINORITIES, AND THAT MEXICO, IN PARTICULAR, HAS NOTHING TO GAIN FROM ATTACKING JEWS.
IN THE SAME ARTICLE, HOWEVER, HE DEVELOPS HIS OWN “THEORY” ON THE JEWISH QUESTION. HE MAKES A DISTINCTION BETWEEN JEWS AS INDIVIDUALS AND “JUDAISM” WHICH, HE SAYS, IS SYNONYMOUS WITH “BOLSHEVISM.”
FORMER PRESIDENT CALLES COMES IN FOR CRITICISM FROM VOSCONSELOS BECAUSE HE PERMITTED JEWISH IMMIGRATION AND DISCOURAGED SPANISH IMMIGRATION. “NOW, HOWEVER, THAT THE MISTAKE HAS ALREADY BEEN MADE, ATTACKING THESE INNOCENT PEOPLE ONLY MAKES THE SITUATION WORSE,” HE SAYS.
VOSCONSELOS PRAISES THE JEWS HIGHLY AS AN INTELLIGENT, DILIGENT AND PEACEFUL PEOPLE. WHEREVER THERE HAVE BEEN JEWS, HE SAYS, SCIENCE AND CULTURE HAVE FLOURISHED; HE ADVISES THAT NO ECONOMIC DISCRIMINATIONS AGAINST THEM BE ADOPTED; AND POINTS OUT THAT IF JEWS ARE JUSTLY TREATED, THEY MAY TURN OUT TO BE USEFUL ELEMENTS IN THE FUTURE OF THE NATION. AT THE SAME TIME, HE WARNS THAT JEWS NOT BE ALLOWED TO TAKE PART IN POLITICS, SINCE THEY MUST BE PREVENTED FROM BRINGING IN THEIR “JEWISH IDEAS.”
WARNING THE MEXICANS THAT “EVEN IF YOU SUCCEED IN KILLING OUT ALL THE JEWS, YOU WILL NOT BE ANY BETTER OFF–FOR THE FAULT LIES IN YOU AND IN YOU ALONE,” VOSCONSELOS ADVISES THEM TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF THE JEWS IN THEIR DILIGENCE AND ENERGY. HE PROMISES THAT IN THE FIGHT BETWEEN PERSECUTORS OF JEWS AND JEWS THEMSELVES, HE WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE SIDE OF THE JEWS.
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.
