Army Plans Hold Fate of Reich Jewry

The Jews of Germany were anxiously awaiting today the publication of additional orders on the conscription of citizens in the German army, in order to establish whether the orders will also include Jews.

In view of the importance of this question, since it will affect the status of citizenship for German Jewry, the executive of the Jewish War Veterans Association was considering today whether to approach the authorities with a direct inquiry. It was feared, however, that such an inquiry might prejudice their case.

CONCERN OVER DECISION

Other leading Jewish circles expressed great concern as to whether the conscription order will differentiate between “Aryans” and Jews. If Jews are not accepted into the enlarged German army, it will be tantamount to an expression of government distrust of the loyalty of German Jewry and to putting the German Jews into citizenship of a special class.

The detailed orders about the new conscription are expected to be issued on Monday. “The answer to the problem of whether or not the Jews are to be included in the conscription will be known only when these orders are made public,” the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was informed here today.

HINT IN PRESS

Indications that the “Aryan” paragraph may be applied against Jews in the new conscription were given today in an article syndicated by the press bureau of the Nazi party in a number of German newspapers. “The State of Adolph Hitler is a State of Tolerance,” the article says. “The Jews can continue to follow their occupations in peace. So far as we Germans are concerned they simply are not there. We don’t see them. But it does not suit us that these guests of our nation should encroach where they are not wanted.”

In Nuremberg a warning was issued today by the Nazi farmers organization to all cattle dealers, threatening them with “extraordinary punishment” if found dealing with Jewish cattle traders.