Jews Withdraw Funds

Heavy withdrawals from a number of German banks by Jewish depositors and the organization of emergency self-defense corps under the leadership of the Union of Jewish War Veterans are the first direct results of Monday’s anti-Semitic riots during which the attacks on the leading Jewish-owned shops, cafes and even banks by gangs of National Socialist rowdies startled Berlin out of its post election placidity.

In addition to removing their funds from German banks and transferring them to banks in Holland and Switzerland, a great number of Jews are crowding the trains leaving for Switzerland, Holland and other neighboring countries. An unusually large Jewish migration is predicted here this week until conditions return to normal. Reports reaching Berlin from the provinces, especially from Bavaria, the Hitlerites’ stronghold, state that there is not a city in which the Jewish population does not fear anti-Semitic outbreaks. Many Jews, therefore, are abandoning their residences and moving abroad temporarily.

JEWISH WAR VETERANS ON GUARD

Although the local authorities have the situation well in hand the Union of Jewish War Veterans is taking no chances and has organized a self-defense corps. Small groups of the Jewish war veterans are patrolling the Jewish quarter prepared for any emergency. Armed and in small groups in order not to attract attention the Jewish soldiers are ready to repulse any new attacks. The officials of the Union of Jewish War Veterans have informed the authorities that several thousand Jewish soldiers will volunteer for emergency duty should rioting recur.

While the rioting has been suppressed the danger has not yet entirely passed because the street attacks on the Jews do not emanate spontaneously from street rowdies but are the result of well-planned and carefully organized measures by the Hitler high command. In view of this the measures for self defense by the Jews were thought necessary. Attempts to renew the anti-Jewish disturbances were quickly frustrated by the police yesterday.

Endeavoring to quiet Jewish fears, Karl Zoergoebbel, chief of police, issued a statement emphasizing that no more anti-Semitic riots need be feared. “I have taken all necessary steps to prevent the Hitlerites from again attacking Jewish-owned establishments,” Herr Zoergoebbel explained. “The Hitlerites utilized the fact that 4,000 police were occupied in keeping order around the Reichstag district to attack Jewish places of business elsewhere,” he said. “Nevertheless the police succeeded in halting the National Socialists and preventing more serious damage,” the chief of police declared.

108 PERSONS ARRESTED

Of the 108 persons who were arrested for participating in Monday’s riots 76 were released but charges will be preferred against them later. The others will be tried at a special session of court. Among the Hitlerites arrested were a large number of young girls. They came to the scene of the riots armed with bricks and stones wrapped in paper and disguised to look like lunch packages. During the clash between the police and the rioters three persons were seriously injured.

As an outgrowth of the arrests a sensational charge of perjury was brought against a member of the Brunswick cabinet, M. Franzen, a National Socialist. by the police. Herr Franzen sought to obtain the release of Guth, a Hitlerite caught as one of the rioters, on the plea that Guth was a member of parliament and hence immune from arrest. The police, however, quickly established that Herr Franzen’s explanation was untrue, Franzen later admitting that he had lied to the police.

The reports appearing in the American press on the riots are characterized in the German evening press as exaggerated. The German papers claim that the onslaughts on the Jews are of no political significance. Every paper is full of articles on the riots, mostly condemnatory. The Right wing organs are seeking to minimize the effect of the disturbances by reporting that those who took part in the riots were not Hitlerites. Police officials, however, have stated that all of those arrested were members of Hitler’s party.

POLICE SAY RIOTS WELL PLANNED

Police officials are also certain that the riots were well-planned in advance to coincide with the opening of the newly-elected Reichstag. According to police information the Hitlerites beat no one nor did they do any looting during the riots.

Berlin financial circles are very pleased that the American press considers the occurrences as merely acts of hooliganism and continues to lend Germany its confidence which is seen by the fact that the position of the Stock Exchange here is firm.

When the rioters had been dispersed most of Berlin, but chiefly Leipziger Strasse, looked like a deserted battlefield. Glass from broken windows and goods that had been thrown out of the stores littered the streets where the attack of the Hitlerites had been most furious. While policemen in motor cars and on horseback were guarding the area that on Monday was the scene of rioting, employees of the stores that were attacked began cleaning up the debris. Many of the stores are already open for business and the neighborhood is rapidly returning to normalcy.

MILLIONS OF MARKS DAMAGE DONE

The damage done by the anti-Semitic rioters is estimated at millions of marks. Among the stores that were the special prey of the rowdies were those of Wertheim, the silk establishment of Gords & Adams, and the shops of Gruenfeld, Goldschmidt and Lachman as well as the Teitz department store. The Deutsche Nationale Bank also suffered damage.

The cafes owned by Jews were a particular object of the Hitlerites’ fury. The famous Drobkin Cafe was completely wrecked. The popular cafe on the corner of Tiergarten and Stresseman Strasses, a mecca for American tourists, was the scene of great damage. When the riot began the cafe was crowded with visitors, chiefly foreigners. The anti-Semites entered shouting “Down with the Jews” and the pillaging began. Furniture was smashed and the guest driven into inner rooms. The doors were then locked and the guests were virtual prisoners for several hours. In the meantime the hooligans amused a mused themselves by smashing every dish and piece of glassware in the cafe.