An apology by two local Christian Democratic leaders in a nearby village, who had injected a gratuitous “Jewish issue” into last fall’s Bundestag election campaign, ended a libel and slander suit brought against them by Jakob Altmaier, a Social Democrat and one of West Germany’s two Jewish Bundestag deputies.
At Altenmittlau, in Altmaier’s constituency of Hanau-Gelnhausen, the two local notables had interrupted a political meeting to drag in the Jewish descent of one time Reich Finance Minister Hilferding and the controversial pedagogical theories advocated by a forgotten Jewish school official in Berlin 30 years ago. Their only purpose in doing so, they now asserted in the witness stand, was to show that “Social Democracy has always been alien to culture.” When they retracted this allegation with apologies, Altmaier and the Social Democratic Party agreed to drop the case.
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.
