New assureances to the Jews of Austria were issued today by the Dollfuss government as preparations continued for the new Austrian constitution promised by the present regime and which the Jews of Austria fear will contain provisions relegating them to second-class citizenship status. The government statement today, one of a sertes issued in the last few days, promises complete liberty for the Jews and defense of Jewish rights.
Attack on the Jewish positions from a new angle was seen today with announcement of the projected emergency decree disbarring lawyers employed previously by the Socialists. Of the two thousand lawyers in-Vienna. Fiftenh hundred are Jews. While the government has professed its determination that there will be no restrictive measures employed against jews, such as restrictive quetes, nevertheless, it is felt that hundreds of Jewish lawyers will be barred from practice under the pretext that they are Socialists. Many of these attorneys, although not themselves Socianlists have been employed as counsel for municipalities, trades unions and cooperative bodies, and their past asso-lation it is feared, will be used to reduce the number of Jewish members of the bar.
The Christian trades uniions and employes organizations, the only ones remaining in Austria since the government suppressed all the Socialist organizations, have issued a call to Austrian workers and employes to enroll in their ranks Jewish workers and employes are inehgible for membership in these bod’es which are associated with the Christian Socialist party and are confessional bodies. As a result, negotiations are under way for the authorization and formation of Jewish trades unions. The first meeting of the proposed bodies will be held in a few days.
Negotiations have commenced between the government and the former opposition press, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Learned today. for a basis on which newspapers could resume appearance inha#pered.
Dr. Desider Friedmann, president of the Vienna Jewish community, and Joseph Loewenherz, vicepresident of the community, both of wiom are prominent in the Austrian Zionist movement, left to consult Jewish leaders abroad regarding the Austrian Jewish situation.
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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.
