Law Courts Give No Protection to Jews: No One Dares in Germany To-day to Render Himself Suspect of P

It cannot be disputed that Hitlerist aggression assumes its most violent form when it is directed against Jews, the “Juedische Rundschau” here writes. That is not surprising when we remember that the Hitlerist papers have for years been inciting the lowest instincts of the mob against the Jews. The law courts do not react with sufficient energy against this propaganda, which is now leading to bloodshed.

It is in fact a matter of surprise that things being what they are we have not had pogroms in Germany like once in Czarist Russia. It is constantly happening nowadays that not only the lower courts, but the very highest treat the Hitlerist vandals with the utmost mildness. This laxity in the face of the insults heaped up against Judaism, Jewry and the Jewish Community, and the refusal to concede the right to the Jews to bring actions against those who libel them and incite the people, has resulted in convincing Hitlerist circles that outrages against Jews may be undertaken with much less risk than against other people. So we have Jews constantly attacked, molested in the streets, Jewish places of worship and cemeteries desecrated, a boycott preached against Jewish businessmen and all that is connected with Jews and Judaism vilified and all with no redress. We must not shut our eyes to the fact that Hitlerist ideology has spread in Germany to an extent that would have seemed incredible a few years ago. Even parties and authorities who are not anti-Jewish find themselves obliged to take account of the anti-Jewish mob feeling, which is spreading among all circles of the people. Without any discriminatory laws against Jews, we Jews are to-day treated in actual practice in Germany as second-class citizens. No one dares to appoint Jews as officials. People are afraid to give positions to Jewish scholars of the highest qualifications and attainments. People are afraid to become suspect of being protectors of the Jews. Things have gone so far that people are afraid to be just to Jews. And wherever Jews still hold public positions in spite of the Hitlerist propaganda of anti-Jewish hatred, the Hitlerists consider it as an affront and an act of provocation, with the expressed approval of the non-Hitlerist Right. The attempt made on the life of Police Chief Lassally in Hamburg by Police Sergeant Pohl is of particular significance. It is the act of an incited antisemite against a Jew. The shot fired in the Hamburg police headquarters is a shot fired against the Jews of Germany.

We feel that we have become open prey. We are left to the mercy of the Hitlerist mob, the “Rundschau” concludes. We see now the harvest that has been sown for years by the enemies of the Jews among the masses of the people. Whatever our views on inner Jewish questions, all Jews must join together now to put a stop to this laisser-faire in Germany in regard to the Hitlerist antisemitic agitation. We recently heard some very fine words from the Prime Minister, Dr, Bruening, but we have not yet heard any voice of warning from these high places against the martyrdom to which the Jews of Germany are subjected because of the unrestrained bestial mob antisemitism.