Mayor Bernard McFeeley of Hoboken Monday ordered an investigation into the celebration of Italian Armistice Day in Hoboken Public School No. 3 on Sunday night which became the occasion for German Nazi speakers to deride the Jew, demand the expatriation of American “Communist Jews,” and call for a fight against the boycott of German goods.
“We did not know that the occasion was to be usurped by the Nazis for their anti-Jewish propaganda, James P. Laverty, president of the Hoboken Board of Education told the Jewish Daily Bulletin.
“When we granted use of the school auditorium, we understood the occasion was to be a celebration of Italy’s signature to the armistice, which, we were told, took place on November 5, 1918. The request for the use of the school was made by the Fascio Arnoldo Mussolini Association. They told me that the Italian Ambassador and the Italian Consul-General were to be the speakers and sent me an invitation, which I did not use.”
When asked what action would be taken, Mr. Laverty declared an investigation would be carried out and in the future the use of public schools would not be granted organizations without a careful investigation of their programs.
“Absolutely and positively no!” Mr. Laverty declared when asked whether or not it would be possible for Nazi or anti-Semitic organizations to use public schools for future demonstrations.
Further evidence of the long-predicted attempts of Nazi organizations operating in the United States to bring into line all alien and American Fascist elements was set forth on Sunday, when the Friends of New Germany met with 500 Italian Fascists in Hoboken to denounce the Jew.
William A. Meyer, successor to Heinz Spanknoebel as “Fuhrer” of the Nazi movement in the United States and leader of the Newark group of Friends of New Germany, promised he would “perpetuate the American friends of National Socialism in this country.”
He declared the primary aim of the Friends of New Germany is to secure the expulsion of “Communist Jews” from the United States. His declaration immediately followed a seething denunciation of “Jewish propaganda against Germany”, which he described as “atrocity propaganda.”
CALL TO FIGHT JEWS
Mr. Meyer called upon all present to join his comrades in this fight against the Jew. He said, “we shall secure the organization of friends of National Socialism fast in this land, build it up, spread it to the American hinterland so that all shall know which way the road leads.”
Meyer entered the hall with twenty men, all in uniform. The uniforms of the Nazi adherents were composed of white shirts, long blue trousers, and blue caps with swastikas. The last man bore the swastika banner, which was placed side by side with the stars and stripes on the rostrum. The banner had a red hooked cross on a field of white.
Mr. Meyer traced the growth of the Nazi movement and outlined his ambitions for its future. He said that despite tremendous opposition, the Nazi organization had assumed considerable strength in great and large cities. He cited the development of the organization in Union City as typical of that of other branches. “Our Union City cell has developed and expanded daily,” he said. “We shall soon create a sister cell in Hoboken.”
Rounds of applause greeted the entrance of the white-shirted Nazi adherents as they entered the school. The presence of many Germans in the audience and their enthusiasm indicated that the participation of Meyer and his uniformed men had been expected.
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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.
