Church Groups Call for Fight Against Anti-semitism

“ONE OF THE BLACKEST PAGES IN THE HISTORY OF RELIGION IS THE PERSECUTION OF JEWS BY CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIAN NATIONS,” DECLARE THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE WORLD ALLIANCE FOR INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP THROUGH THE CHURCHES AND THE CHURCH PEACE UNION IN A NEWS LETTER TO MEMBERS.

THE LETTER URGES RELIGIONISTS OF ALL TYPES NOT ONLY TO PROTEST AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM “BUT DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO STOP IT.” IT DENOUNCES SPECIFICALLY THE PERSECUTION OF JEWS IN POLAND AND RUMANIA.

“WITH ALL THE MISERY IN THE WORLD AT THE PRESENT TIME AND THE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS IN WHICH SO MANY PEOPLE FIND THEMSELVES, THERE ARE NO PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING HARDER HIT AND MORE UNJUSTLY DEPRIVED OF THEIR RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES THAN THE JEWS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,” THE CHURCH BODIES ASSERT. “ANTI-SEMITISM IN ANY FORM IS AN UGLY MANIFESTATION.

“THE POLISH PEOPLE HAVE REASON TO BE ASHAMED OF WHAT IS BEING DONE AND WHAT IS PROPOSED AS A FURTHER DEPRESSIVE ACTION AGAINST THE JEWS. THERE ARE 3,000,000 JEWS IN POLAND. WHEN POLAND WAS REUNITED AND ESTABLISHED AFTER HER LONG PARTITION, THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES FELT THAT AT LAST JUSTICE HAD BEEN DONE.

“NOW WE FIND THAT THESE PEOPLE WHO SUFFERED SO MUCH ARE THEMSELVES BECOMING CHIEF AMONG THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTING THE WEAK. WHATEVER MAY BE THE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND WHATEVER MAY BE THE EXCUSE, THERE IS NOTHING TO JUSTIFY A NATION DRIVING OUT FROM ITS BORDERS AND SETTING ADRIFT IN THE WORLD A MILLION OR MORE OF ITS CITIZENS — MEN AND WOMEN WITHOUT LAND, HOME, OR COUNTRY.

“THE ATTITUDE IN RUMANIA IS NO BETTER. GERMAN ANTI-JEWISH INFLUENCE IS BEING FELT WHEREVER THE GERMAN LANGUAGE IS SPOKEN AND WHEREVER THE THIRD REICH MAKES ANY PRETENSE OF HOLDING ITS PEOPLE TOGETHER.”