The order of the Reichs-minister of Economics in Germany not to interfere with Jewish firms exhibiting or selling Christmas gifts is the first piece of good news received from Germany in months.
Those who remember the bitter campaign which the Nazis carried on last year against Jewish stores, using the pre-Christmas trade as pretext, will see in this order that the German Ministry of Economics is definitely determined not to permit the hampering of Jewish trade.
The Jews in Germany will receive the order of the Federal Minister with a feeling of relief. They have still not forgotten the campaign which numerous local Chambers of Commerce carried on last year to prevent the buying of Christmas presents in Jewish stores. This campaign was stimulated by non-Jewish competitors for reasons of personal profit only. The fact that the anti-Jewish agitation which developed around the pre-Christmas trading endangered not only the livelihood of the Jews, but in many places also their lives, did not worry these patriotic profiteers.
Now, under the order issued by the Federal Minister of Economics, such a campaign will not be possible this year. The order has been issued early enough to prevent the beginning of any anti-Jewish pre-Christmas propaganda.
There is no doubt that certain elements of the Nazi party will be highly dissatisfied with this order, just as they have been dissatisfied with a number of similar orders issued by the Ministry of Economics. This dissatisfaction will, however, not influence the Ministry of Economics to change its insistence that Jews should not be molested in commerce.
It has more than once been emphasized by the Ministry of Economics that any discrimination practiced against the German Jews in commerce affects not only the Jews but the entire economic system of the country. Experiments made to hamper the Jews in trade have brought detrimental results for the Jews, but also unemployment for thousands of Germans. The policy of the Ministry of Economics is therefore beneficial not only to the Jews but to Germany as a whole.
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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.
