The text of an oath which every Jew in Soviet Russia will take on June 22, the day of the first anniversary of the Nazi attack upon Russia, was made public here today, together with an appeal to “Jews in the United States, England, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Palestine, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, So. Africa and Australia,” urging them to take a similar vow. The text reads:
“I, the son (or daughter) of the Jewish people, vow not to rest and not to remain aside from my brothers in struggle until Hitler and his cut-throats – bloody enemies of all peoples, bloody enemies of the Jewish people – will be wiped off the face of the earth. I vow to avenge the lives of my brothers and sisters, those tortured, burned and buried alive in all destroyed and devastated towns and villages in lands fallen into the enemy’s clutches. I vow mercilessly to avenge the death of women and children, the tortures and massacres of my people and of the finest sons of our brother nations. Blood for blood and death for death.
“I vow, without sparing my life or my property, to help with all I can my brothers and fighters of freedom-loving people in the struggle against Fascism. Nothing will be too hard or too dear for saving my people from extinction. Cursed be those who remain outside this struggle. Forever shall their names be pronounced with scorn and disgrace. I vow to be among those who will fulfill their sacred duty in the struggle to protect the life and the honor of the Jewish people. I vow!”
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.
