A sharp warning against Nazi racial theories was delivered today by General Jan Christian Smuts, who spoke at a luncheon in the Hotel Savoy for the relief of German Jewish women and children.
“We should all develop in God’s image,” the South African statesman said, “but now attempts are being made to develop all in the image of a man who should be in a lunatic asylum.”
General Smuts extolled the services German Jews had rendered their Fatherland and praised them for their steadfast character and loyalty.
Lady Nancy Astor, who also spoke, stressed the necessity of removing German Jewish children from their unpleasant surroundings.
“If I were a Jew,” she said, “I would rescue the Jewish children in Germany, leaving the adults there. If I were a German Jew, I would stick to Germany, but I would certainly take my children out of that environment.”
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.