The Gestapo, German secret police, is now playing a significant role in a renewed campaign to force Jews out of Germany’s commerce and industry, it was learned here today.
Agents of this powerful organization are threatening Jewish factory owners and business men with arrest on charges of violating the rigid currency laws unless they sell out to “Aryans.” Under new regulations, the death penalty can be invoked against violators of the currency laws.
Alarmed by the threats, hundreds of Jewish industrialists have been daily coming to Berlin from all over Germany to seek intervention of Economics Minister Dr. Hjalmar Schacht. Reliable sources reveal that Dr. Schacht is unwilling to intercede.
The campaign has reached an acute stage in the province of Silesia, where the Nazi press is publishing a series of articles by District Commissioner Streit-Schwerdt in which he demands elimination of Jews from the leather trade.
Streit-Schwerdt discloses that two of the largest Jewish leather dealers, Glogowski and Mueller, have been ordered to close their establishments for two months and pay fines of 1,800 marks each. No reason for the action is disclosed.
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.
