Polish Jewish women have demonstrated several times in Berlin synagogues in the past week, demanding that something be done about male relatives in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the Associated Press reported today. German rabbis were placed in an embarrassing position since intervention in behalf of the Polish Jews might be construed as an attempt to give aid to the enemy, the dispatch said.
Contrary to time-honored practice, synagogue services must now close by 7 p.m., for all Jews must be off the streets by 8. The Jewish theater has been closed and the Kulturbund has ceased to operate. In Berlin, only one moving picture theater for Jews remains open–from 3 to 7 p.m., the A.P. said.
Reports from various parts of Germany received by the Berlin Jewish Community indicate that Jews have been ordered to surrender bed linen, underwear and clothes for use by the army, the A.P. declared. Jewish community officials were hard at work to supply complete data by Friday on every Jew’s personal financial status and other personal details required by the German authorities, the dispatch said.
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.
