A rising tide of anti-Nazi sentiment gave some hope today to Austria’s 200,000 Jews, troubled by fears of anti-Semitic measures as a result of increased Nazi influence in the Austrian Government.
A more optimistic attitude was noticeable in Jewish circles as anti-Nazis rallied their forces for counter-demonstrations against the Nazis under the aegis of the patriotic Fatherland Front. The Government has forbidden all public political meetings, save those of the Fatherland Front, for four weeks.
The laboring masses of all political orientations were uniting behind Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg. Political strikes were called for today in several important factories in protest against the Nazis, but were forbidden.
Small Nazi groups yesterday invaded the Leopoldstadt quarter of Vienna, which is largely Jewish, but they were outnumbered by vigilant police. Strong reserves stood by to prevent attempts at violence. Nazis held a torchlight procession last night near the Technical High School. Mounted police patrolled the main streets to prevent the demonstrators from entering the school.
The Austrian Jews feel nervous about recent political developments, but they have “the fullest confidence” in Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, Chief Rabbi Israel Taglicht declared in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
“The Austrian Jews have the fullest confidence in Schuschnigg,” Rabbi Taglicht said. “Nothing definite has been done yet, but we do not believe the position of the Austrian Jews has already become as dangerous as for the Jews in Germany.”
A plea to Austrian Jewry to remain calm and not to allow itself to be provoked was sounded by an editorial in today’s issue of Robert Stricker’s newspaper, Neue Welt, which points out that Nazi activity in Austria is limited by the Constitution, which cannot be infringed without violation of the Austro-German agreement. The present Government, it asserts, “gives us the guarantee that our rights as citizens will be preserved.”
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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.
