A new wave of anti-Jewish excesses is sweeping over Germany as the Nazi brown shirted storm troopers, freed from the restraints of the past few weeks in connection with the Nazi drive against their Nationalist allies, the Social Democrats and others, resumed their tactics of the first days of the “peaceful revolution.” Three cases of fierce attacks on Jews were reported in Berlin today and scores more from the provinces.
A particularly shocking attack was made on Erick Friedeberg, a Jewish merchant, living in the Eisenzahnstrasse in the same building in which the Berlin bureau of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency is located.
A gang of fitfteen to twenty Nazis entered his apartment late yesterday, and ordered Friedeberg to leave with them. Friedeberg refused to do so as the raiders had no warrant for his arrest. Instead, he rushed to the telephone and called the police flying squad which responded promptly to his call and put three of the gang under arrest.
A quarter of an hour later, the remainder of the gang returned to the apartment to revenge their arrested comrades. Gaining entrance by breaking down the door, they beat Friedeberg unconscious with rubber truncheons and legs pulled loose from chairs in the apartment Friedeberg suffered severe head wounds, the loss of his teeth which were knocked out by blows, and his entire body was covered with wounds and bruises.
The apartment was completely demolished. Doors to rooms were ripped down, all furnishings destroyed and the walls covered with blood from Friedeberg’s wounds.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
