Dr. Philip Auerbach, Bavarian Restitution Commissioner, reported today that a number of Jews in Traunstein, Bavaria, were manhandled by German police carrying out orders of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Bonn. The Commissioner’s report said a special force of 300 policemen and custome officials drove to Traunstein and raided the homes of Jewish families.
Police detained Jews in the streets and threatened them with rubber truncheons, the report continued. When Jacob Pillar, chairman of the local Jewish community group, questioned the right of police to enter his home without a court permit, he was hit in the face and thrown to the ground. When another Jew protested that the police were using Gestapo methods, a policeman replied, “I was trained in Hitler Germany–I know how to handle Jews.”
Pillar was arrested but was later released following intervention by local police authorities, whose conduct Dr. Auerbach described as “correct and praiseworthy.” The attack will be discussed at the next meeting of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
