Spurred by events in Austria, the anti-Jewish drive in Old Germany is being pushed forward with unprecedented speed. Measures have been issued in recent weeks to hamstring Jewish capital, while in many towns “Viennese days” were staged with boycotts and demonstrations similar to those in Vienna. Such demonstrations, which occurred in Frankfurt-am-Main, Halle, the suburbs of Dresden and elsewhere, were occasionally accompanied by sporadic violence and vandalism, aggravating the nervousness of the German Jews.
The principal financial developments regarding the Jews have been, firstly, the removal of the Jewish communities taxing power, and, secondly, the regulation obliging Jews to register fortunes amounting to more than 5,000 Marks for Government perusal.
While most communities are continuing religious, welfare, educational and emigration work, there is no doubt that their income will be considerably diminished because contributions are now voluntary.
The disclosure of the true purpose of Marshall Hermann Goering’s decree for registration of property is anxiously awaited. Some quarters believe that Jews with means exceeding their needs for living may be forced to invest in unnegotiable Government bonds.
The tense atmosphere is heightened by the impossibility of official contact with the Austrian Jews. Such permission has repeatedly been promised and afterwards withdrawn. It is now believed that German Jewish organizations will not be able to extend help to Austrian Jews until the Jewish organizations in Austria are fully launched and operating under their own power. Things may be decided in the next week or two.
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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.
