Elaborate rules for making absolutely sure that no recruit with the slightest suspicion of Jewish blood shall slip into the German army or labor service, are published in the French magazine Races at Racisms.
The new recruiting regulations, reproduced from the Magdeburgische Zeitung, provide that officials must explain to each recruit” the definition of the word Jew,” and that he must then sign the following declaration:
“After careful investigation I have been unable to discover a single fact which permits any supposition that I am a Jew. I have been sufficiently well instructed on the significance of the word Jew. I know that I can expect to be instantly discharged from the Labor Service of the Reich and expelled from the army, if this declaration is found to be false.”
In doubtful cases, the regulations call for additional evidence, requiring the recruit to produce the marriage or birth certificates of his parents or even of his grandparents. Police are authorized to investigate his racial origin or to call upon the Central Office on Ancestral Research for assistance.
While the investigation is under way, the article says, the recruit is to be called for military and labor service until his origin is correctly determined.
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.
