German Campaign of Slander Against Jewish Community Irks Jewish Leaders; Protest Voiced

The executive of the Central Council of German Jews today issued a statement protesting against the campaign of slander and incitement being carried on against the Jews in connection with the recent suspension of Dr. Philip Auerbach, Jewish head of the Bavarian Restitution Office.

The announcement of Dr. Auerbach’s suspension and the investigation into charges of embezzlement made against him were announced last week-end. Dr. Auerbach, meanwhile, has brought libel suits against Heinrich Junker, Christian Democratic member of the Bavarian Parliament who has charged him with embezzlement, and against Fritz Hollstein, editor of “Die Tat” who charged that the Jewish leader had secured preferential treatment for himself from the Nazis when he was in a concentration camp and that he beat fellow prisoners. So far none of the charges against Dr. Auerbach have been proved, Bavarian Finance Minister Zorn announced last week-end.

The Central Council’s statement declared:

“1. We condemn attempts made by individuals through public statements to identify Jews as a whole with matters which are of no concern to the Jewish community. A thorough and objective investigation of all events is urgently needed to establish responsibility for any irregularities irrespective of personal considerations. We demand, however, that this inquiry be not made a pretext for the paralyzing of the work of the restitution authority, and we insist in particular on all restitution claims pending with the Bavarian Restitution Office being dealt with immediately in accordance with normal procedure.

“2. We protest most strongly against the inciting attacks being made in this connection against the Jewish community as a whole. Nothing can be gained by such attacks but to let the flame of hatred flare up anew and to poison public opinion once more.”

(The New York Times reported today from Frankfurt that the Bavarian Government suspended payments through the restitution office to all victims of Nazism, when it established that many documents on which the claims were based had been obtained improperly. Although the documents were usually obtained from corrupt local officials, the Bavarian Government’s campaign was aimed primarily at Dr. Philip Auerbach, head of the restitution office, whose success in establishing restitution in the hurly burly of post-war Bavarian politics has made him many enemies, the correspondent emphasized.)