Between the Lines

One cannot say that the Austrian government has started the New Year right by legalizing the Nazi press in Austria and by depriving Jewish religious institutions of the subsidy which they formerly received from the government budget.

It may be true that Austria today, as a Catholic Corporative State, is not at all keen on Supporting Jewish institutions. It is, however, hard to understand why the Austrian government, while collecting taxes from its Jewish citizens, at the same time discriminates against Jewish religious needs.

That Austria is drifting more and more to extreme anti-Semitism can be seen from the fact that though the Jewish population is twice as large as the Evangelic, 600,000 schillings were assigned in the state budget for Evangelic religious needs, and not a single schilling for Jewish needs.

AUSTRIA WORSE THAN GERMANY

This discrimination goes even farther than that in Nazi Germany. With all the grievances the Jews have against Germany, it must be admitted that the Nazi government in Berlin has limited its anti-Jewish policy to racial principles only and has treated the Jews fairly in religious matters. Austria, however, seems to discriminate against the Jews both as a race and a religious group.

The legalization of the Nazi press, with which Austria has started the New Year, is another indication that the Austrian government intends to intensify its anti-Jewish policy. It is easy to imagine the terror under which the Jews in Austria will be kept, now that the Nazi press can freely publish whatever it wishes.

American Jews only recently have been criticized as being too lenient in the fight for the rights of their brethren in Austria. A Chicago newspaper has suggested editorially that the Jews should start a boycott against Austria along the same lines as against Germany.

STRONGER ACTION NEEDED

This attitude, if not a stronger one, will have to be taken by the Jews of America towards Austria if the quiet representations made to the Austrian government through its Minister at Washington does not produce the desired results.

The proper course for the Jews now is to resort to the Saint-Germain pact, under which the Austrian government is obliged to treat the Jews with equality. A Jewish complaint against Austria for violating the Saint-Germain treaty should be lodged with the League of Nations. The Austrian government which has enjoyed the sympathy of many nations does not enjoy this sympathy any longer.

A Jewish case against Austria before the League of Nations would reveal the situation of the Austrian Jews to the entire world and would, once and for all, make it clear whether the Austrian government considers the treaty of Saint-Germain a binding document or merely a scrap of paper.