Now Editorial Notes

THE Munich Brown House, the national Nazi headquarters, through various provincial leaders, has issued warnings to all artisans, including Jews, against employing Jewish youths as apprentices. In certainly instances they have been #hreatened with the withdrawal of their licenses and with a boycott if they failed to comply with the Nazi instructions. They were also threatened with being branded as ‘enemies of the state’.

At the same time news comes from Berlin that Von Schroeder, a prominent Nazi financier, addressing the Cologne Chamber of Commerce, of which he is president, declared that “the time has now come for tackling economic reorganization so as to extinguish what remains of liberalistic tendencies and the Jewish shopkeeper spirit”. He added; “I would state with the utmost emphasis that we repudiate the collaboration of Jews or the part of Jews in the conduct of industry and business, just as much as in other domains. In business, too, we insist on pure Aryan leadership”. He also insisted on the elimination of Jews from the banking system.

It is recalled that it was in the home of this Von Schroeder that Hitler and Von Papen met secretly about a year ago for the purpose of elaborating the scheme which made Hitler Chancellor. Von Schroeder’s statements may, therefore, be regarded as representative of the views of Nazi bankers and industrialists.

The Nazi policy of extermination of German Jewry is continuing on all fronts. First came the intellectuals, the scientists, the educators, the liberals, the pacifists. Some of them were driven from Germany. Othere were forced from their positions, and deprived of the means of livelihood. Others saved themselves by fleeing from Germany in time.

The Jewish youth of Germany, in an effort to readjust themselves to the new conditions, have begun to learn trades in the hope of finding an opportunity to earn their own livelihood and to support their families. Now this hope is also being shattered.

The Jewish financiers and merchants were not interfered with in the beginning of the Hitler regime to the same extent as other elements of German Jewry. The Nazis did not hesitate to drive the intellectuals, professionals, and Jewish office holders from their posts. These were the first to be sacrificed. Now the Nazis are striking at the Jewish artisans, especially at the Jewish youth. The Jewish financiers and merchants, though humi- liated and hampered in their activities, were permitted to carry on, for the Nazi regime feard that the elimination of this element would ruim the financial and economic structure of Germany, and therefore the Jewish financiers and merchants were the last to suffer from the ruthless policy of extermination.

Now there is an insistent demand on the part of the Hitler financiers and merchants for “pure Aryan leadership” in this field, too.

The situation of German Jewry is growing more hopeless from day to day, and only the outraged conscience of the world, the moral leadership of civilized nations, can halt the complete annihilation of Geraman Jewry because of their race.

While this anti-Jewish policy of extermination is being carried out, other elements of the population, such as the Catholics and Protestants who have not adhered to the Nazi program, are also subjected to upspeakable discrimiantions and persecutions. And in addition to the inhuman acts of bigotry and race hatred, Hitler’s Germany is rapidly becoming the most dangerous breeding place of militarism and war.

How long can the civilized world remain silent and regard the happenings in Germany as merely internal affairs ?