There was an increase in the distress and privation suffered by Jews throughout the world during 1932, according to the report presented to the annual meeting of the Hilfsverein der deutschen Juden by the General Dr. Wischnitzer.
In the Soviet Union, where there are 2¾ million Jews, he said, they are not exposed to political or economic discriminations as Jews, but they are hard hit as a result of the economic situation like the rest of the population.
In Poland tendencies which were previously in evidence have, now become more marked, he continued. State monopoly, trustification, the withdrawal of tobacco licenses, the unequal distribution of taxation between the town and the country, the systematic refusal to admit Jews to State service, in spite of the paper rights enjoyed by the Jews, and the Sunday closing law have plunged large sections of the Jewish population into utter misery.
The Jewish school system is menaced by the private schools law.
The Polish Government insists that the Jewish communities must be exclusively religious, and grants for cultural and social activities are being struck out of the Community budgets.
The anti-Semitic excesses at the beginning of the University year were followed in November by anti-Jewish outbreaks on a large scale. In Lemberg, Jews were subjected to attack for five successive days, shops and workshops were looted, and Jewish possession were destroyed. There were hundreds of casualties. Clashes occurred also in other University towns between anti-Semitic and Jewish students.
The picture presented in Roumania is no more assuring than in the past, Dr. Wischnitzer said.
The Jews, being overwhelmingly an urban element, engaged in industry, artisanship and the liberal professions are particularly hard hit by the economic depression. The situation is worst of all in the new provinces, in the Marmorosh district, Bukovina and Bessarabia.
Thousands of Jews in Roumania are still denied citizenship, left without rights, without protection.
In 1932 there were student disturbances and acts of anti-Semitic terrorism in Roumania, which could not have been possible if the authorities and the police had not been passive. In Parliament itself Jewish deputies were insulted and beaten.
In Carpatho-Russia, Czecho-Slovakia, the distress grew in 1932 to such an extent that permanent relief activity had
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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.
