Hundreds of inmates of children’s homes, sanatoria and homes for the aged supported by the suppressed B’nai B’rith, Jewish fraternal order, were evicted today by the State secret police after the expiration of three days’ notice to evacuate the confiscated premises.
The suddenness of the evictions caught the Jewish community by surprise and tonight communal officials were feverishly trying to find temporary shelter for the unfortunates.
The evicted include approximately 200 aged Jews who had contracted with B’nai B’rith lodges for life maintenance and had handed over all their possessions to the American-organized fraternal order.
Arrests in three days of secret police raids on homes of B’nai B’rith members throughout the country totalled 185, it was learned today. Most of them were released after several hours of questioning.
A number of officials of lodges in provincial cities, however, were still under arrest tonight. Raids were carried out simultaneously in Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Dortmund, Nuremberg and all districts except Bavaria, where B’nai B’rith had previously been banned.
A total of 103 lodges were affected by the drastic action of the authorities, which was reported to be in reprisal for anti-Nazi propaganda abroad, particularly in the United States.
Jewish circles expressed fears that liquidation of B’nai B’rith would be followed by similar action against other Jewish organizations.
Suppression of the order, Jewish leaders said, was not only a moral shock to the Jewish community, but constituted a severe financial
blow since it threw additional burdens on Jewish organizations which became obliged to take over philanthropic activities formerly conducted by the fraternal lodges. The Jewish communities also stand to lose considerable income which formerly came from the lodges’ contributions.
Confiscation of B’nai B’rith’s property was also seen as striking at Jewish communal activities since in many towns the B’nai B’rith centers were the only buildings available for Jewish activities.
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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.
