In an attempt to such the growing pro-Jewish sentiments among the German people, Gestapo agents in several large German cities, including Berlin, recently donned yellow Mogen David bands and circulated among the populace seeking to discover those people who were friendly to Jews, it is reported here today.
A number of merchants who have extended special favors to Jews in defiance of the harsh anti-Jewish regulations, under which Jews are allotted only half the usual rations and may shop only after “Aryans” have been satisfied, have been punished when caught by the Gestapo. Some Catholic priests who aided Jews were also said to have been trapped by Gestapo agents wearing the yellow armbands. Factories in which workers had been particularly friendly to Jews were also visited.
As a result of this Gestapo activity, the general population, uncertain as to who is really a Jew and who is a Gestapo agent in disguise, are either avoiding new Jewish acquaintances or are, at least, first making sure that they are not Gestapo spies, the report says.
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.
