German Jewry was shocked today when the Gestapo, secret State police, struck for the fourth time this week against Jewish leaders, arresting Rabbi Max Nussbaum, one of Berlin’s leading rabbis.
No reason for the arrest was given, but it is believed to be remarks he made during the course of a New Year’s sermon, last Friday.
All efforts by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency to ascertain why Franz Meyer, Benno Cohn, and Rabbi Emil Cohn have been arrested were unavailing. Meyer and Cohn were seized yesterday. Rabbi Cohn was detained Sunday, marking his second arrest within a year.
All four Jewish leaders were being held incommunicado at Gestapo headquarters in Alexanderplatz.
German-Jewish leaders here feared the detentions were the beginning of a series of arrests of other Jewish leaders and a campaign against Jewish institutions.
Surprise was expressed particularly at the action against Benno Cohn since his appointment to the executive of the Jewish Cultural League was only recently approved by the Gestapo.
Meyer is executive head of the German Zionist Federation and occupies a leading position in other central Jewish bodies including the executive board of the Reich Representation of Jews in Germany. Benno Cohn is a member of the council of the German Zionist Federation. Rabbi Emil Cohn is a noted Zionist scholar and writer.
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.
