Leaders in Western Germany’s few remaining Jewish communities reported today that, since the formation of the West German Republic, there has been a marked growth of anti-Semitic activity among the German population.
Their account of increasing overt incidents, and even more serious clandestine anti-Semitic activity, has been conveyed to officials on the U.S. High Commission, who have promised a thorough investigation.
For a considerable period prior to creation of the Bonn Republic most responsible Jewish spokesmen in the Western zones had expressed the view that, although there had been no encouraging decline in anti-Semitism among the Germans, neither had there been important signs of any rise in anti-Jewish activity or expression. Coincident with the establishment of limited autonomy for the Germans, however, Jewish leaders began receiving increasing information of discrimination, abuse and occasional outright attacks on Jews in the western zones.
Jewish leaders report that there have been a number of unpublicized incidents, including public speeches filled with anti-Semitic references, made by members of the German Rightist Party in Lower Saxony, in the British zone, and by leading figures in the Bavarian Party of right-wing separatists. In addition, Bavarian state officials have been accused of blocking recent requests for implementation of restitution laws for Jews and there have been a number of unpublicized physical attacks on Jewish displaced persons in the Munich area.
To the credit of top officials in the German Federal Republic, Jewish leaders note, they have come out strongly in sympathy with Germany’s remaining Jews. However, there have been reports–not thoroughly confirmed to date–that there has been discrimination against Jews in employment on new government jobs. There has been a definite and confirmed increase in discrimination against the hiring of Jews in private business throughout West Germany’s urban centers.
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