New reports describing increasing restrictions on Jews in Germany were disclosed today by Socialist circles in London on the basis of information from recent refugees and correspondents in the Reich.
Jews can obtain hard work in factories at starvation wages, one informant said. A single Jewish woman earns about 12 to 18 marks weekly, from which 15 per cent is deducted for “reconstruction of Poland,” as well as contributions for health and invalidity insurance and other deductions, so that actually she gets no more than six to nine marks weekly.
Young Jews are allowed to leave Germany if they have all the necessary papers, but they must work until the last minute and they get hardly an hour’s leave to go to the consulate. In Frankfort, men between 18 and 60 are no longer permitted to emigrate.
Another correspondent reports that in the town where he lives Jews are not allowed to use the tramcars between noon and two p.m. In addition, they may not go shopping before mid-day, by which time almost everything is sold out. Jews are not allowed to buy cotton.
A report from Chemnitz reveals that Jews there are not permitted to use trams between noon end six p.m. They live in special Jewish houses which are searched fortnightly by the Gestapo, looking for such valuables as may be found.
The conclusion that anti-Semitism is not firmly rooted in Germany, despite the vast propaganda drive against the Jews and sweeping anti-Jewish measures, is drawn by Socialist circles. Reports indicate that some “Aryans” are endeavoring to ease the terrible fate of the German Jews.
A Jewess recently arrived from Germany, when asked by one correspondent of the German Socialist Exile Executive Committee whether there were no longer decent “Aryans” in Germany, replied: “Yes, but they keep silent.”
Another Jewish woman said her butcher had been very friendly and had often given her a hundred grams of meat above the ration, which he would not have given to “Aryans.” When she was shopping, the butcher used to return her ration card so carefully that other customers could not see the letter “J” on it.
Jews are not allowed to buy chocolate, but the employer of this Jewish woman brought along chocolate for her and gave it to her on the way to work so that other employees would not notice.
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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.
