Charges that several members of the New Jersey Young Republicans, known as the “Rat Finks, ” have been singing anti-Semitic and anti-Negro songs on several occasions were heard yesterday at a hearing conducted by an investigating committee of the New Jersey State Young Republican Committee.
According to several witnesses, some verses of the objectionable songs praised the Nazi annihilation of the Jews and contained words offensive to Negroes. One song, sung to the tune of “Jingle Bells, ” allegedly went: “Riding the Reich in my Mercedes Benz, shooting every kike, saving all my friends.”
The charges were immediately denied by one of the “Rat Fink” members present at the hearing, who said she intended to sue her accusers. The songs were first brought to light by Mrs. Hope Kaiding, of Boise, Idaho, who collected them at the Wildwood, N.J. convention of the Young Republicans last May, and turned them over to Republican officials and the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation League.
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.