The Ministry of Defense today republished a book of letters written by Jewish-German soldiers who had served Germany in World War I. The book was originally published in 1935, in answer to anti-Semitic propaganda, but was banned by the Nazis.
Defense Minister Franz Joseph Strauss has written a preface to the book, giving three reasons for its reinsurance. He stated that the book should 1. Contribute toward the effort to correct the “Jewish image” distorted by the Nazis; 2. Illustrate through individual examples “the disastrous consequences of modern totalitarianism; and 3. Present before today’s young German soldiers the picture of “patriotism, loyalty and military bravery” shown by Jewish soldiers as “an ideal for imitation.”
Among the letters is one by the brother of a young Jewish army lieutenant killed “serving the German Fatherland.” The mother of that lieutenant, it is pointed out, was later murdered by the Nazis at the age of 81.
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.
