Federal Council of Churches in America Denounces Nazi Massacres of Jews

A declaration of Christian concern over the fate of the Jews in Nazi-occupied countries and a condemnation of “the violence and inhumanity which Nazi leaders have publicly avowed toward all Jews” was made public today by the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. The Council is arranging a conference with Jewish leaders for the purpose of considering ways in which the Christian churches can cooperate in the relief of the suffering of the Jews and in securing justice for them in post-war settlement.

“The reports which are reaching us concerning the incredible cruelties toward the Jews in Nazi-occupied countries, particularly Poland, stir the Christian people of America to the deepest sympathy and indignation,” the declaration reads. “It is impossible to avoid a conclusion that something like a policy of deliberate extermination of the Jews in Europe is being carried out. The violence and inhumanity which Nazi leaders have publicly avowed toward all Jews are apparently now coming to a climax in a virtual massacre. We are resolved to do our full part in establishing conditions in which such treatment of the Jews shall end.

“The feelings of the Jewish community throughout the world have recently been expressed in a period of mourning, fasting and prayer. We associate ourselves with our Jewish fellow-citizens in their hour of tragic sorrow, and unite our prayers with theirs. We confess our own ineffectiveness in combating the influences which beget anti-Semitism in our own country, and urge our constituencies to intensify their efforts in behalf of friendly relations with the Jews. We urge that all plans for reconstruction in Europe shall include measures designed to secure full justice for the Jews and a safe and respected place for them in western civilization. For those who, after the war, will have to emigrate from the war-ridden lands of Europe, immigration opportunities should be created in this and other lands.”