Rally Austrian Jewry to Defense of Rights

Austrian Jewry will never voluntarily resign its citizenship rights and all other rights guaranteed by the peace treaties and the Austrian constitution, leading Austrian Jewish personalities declared today at a mass meeting called by the Austrian Zionist Organization. They called on the entire Jewish population for united support in the struggle to defend Jewish rights.

The principal speakers at the meeting were Dr. Desider Friedmann, president of the Vienna Jewish community; Dr. Lowenhertz and Dr. Ehrlich, vice-presidents of the community. Dr. Gruenbaum, Austrian Zionist leader, presided.

“We demand living room for the Jews of Austria,” the Jewish leaders declared in discussing the newly proclaimed Corporative Fascist State in Austria.

“We want the world and all the governments of the world to know that we will never voluntarily resign our citizenship rights, which are ‘sacra non tangere’ (sacred and not to be touched).

FULFILL DUTIES

“We are not peevish, but we react when we are hurt and facts and occurrences causing justified complaints necessitated these declarations. We know that ninety per cent of the Austrian population is Christian and German and that they are entitled to a constitution of their own choosing.

“We are fulfilling our duties to our country, but at the same time we are a national and religious minority and we demand the same equality of rights, not only constitutionally, but in actual administrative practice.

“Force may do much, but we will never surrender one iota of the rights safeguarded us by the peace treaties and by the constitution,” the Austrian Jewish leaders said.

Drs. Friedmann and Ehrlich also stated that they will present the viewpoint of the Austrian Jews to the Austrian government. They appealed to the entire Jewish population, regardless of party or faction, for united support for the program presented at the meeting.