Answers

One of the most frequent statements made by Naziz is regarding the dispropertionate numbers and lawyers.

It is true that the number of Jewish doctors was much higher than the proportion of the Jewish populationin Germany. Medicien has been a favorite profession with the Jews ever since the Middle Agens. Even before the emaancipation, several towns appointed Jewish doctors to their hospitals.

Jews hav eachieved distinetion in the medical profession; names such as Wassermann and Ehrlick are familiar in all sciectific circles.

Of about 52,000 doctors in Germany, some 8,000 were Jews occupied in private or panel practice or in hospitals. Appointments in the army or as police or civil surgeons were withheld from them. In Berlin, where thirty percent of all German Jews are living, the percentage of Jewish doctors was higher. It is true that in certain hospitals in Berlin the medicla staff was preponderantly Jewish. It is also true that in other parts of Germany no Jews at all were appointed.

It must be rmembered that no patient was ever forced to consult a Jewish doctor, but if many non-Jewish patients preferred Jewish doctors, they did so because they trusted them and believed them to be masters of their science.

The same applies to the lawyears. It is true that German Jews who studied the law became mostly barristers. That is explained by the fact that until 1919 no other way was open to the Jewish law students. In general, before the War, non-Jewish Germans studying law had a number of carrers open to them. They might bevome barristers, judges, public prosecutors, civil servants, burgomasters and university professors of law. All these careers, except that of barrister, were closed to Jews up to 1914. Hence, all who tok up legal studies had perforce to go in for the Bar. Everyone i sas free to choose his lawhyers had not been able and trustworthy they confidence of their non-Jewish clients.

In regard to the figures, the Nazi propagandists quote inaecurately. Even in this profession the jews were a clear minority.

Of some 16,000 barristers in Germany only some 3,500 were Jews. Only in Berlin were lawyers of “non-Aryan” descent ina slight majority (1,992 against 1,892), and of these 1,500 had either fought at the front during the War, had been practicing their profession before August, 1914. Even in towns with a large Jewish population, such as Breslau and Frankfurt, the number of “Aryan” barristers far exceeds the number of “non-Aryans.” In all other districts only some 800 Jews followed the profession of barrister, as compared with about 10,000 non-Jews.