The intensified persecution of the German Jews is illustrated by incidents reported in the Manchester Guardian.
At Wesseling, for instance, classes of school children were taken to see an anti-Semitic mob demolish the interior of a Jewish butcher shop. The owner’s nephew had been sentenced for immoral conduct at a trial held in camera. There was reason to believe he would not have been found guilty had he not been a Jew, the Guardian’s correspondent states.
In Cologne. a storm-trooper buying some meat in a Jewish shop, upon learning that the owner was not “Aryan” dragged him out into the street with the aid of two other men and beat him up. A policeman stood by and observed the process without making a move.
An arrest was made—the victim was taken into “protective custody” by a squad of police which arrived later. The shop was closed down.
The windows of all Jewish butcher shops at Frochen were soiled with lysol.
The Guardian correspondent reported that the persecution seems to be becoming unpopular with the people and that it is continually fomented “from above” for political reasons.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
