A great tumult was created at yesterday’s plenary session of the German Reichstag when the anti-Semitic activities in the province of Thuringia led by the minister of Education, Dr. Frick and his National Socialist party followers, came up for discussion. One National Socialist deputy, M. Goebbels, was ousted from the chamber by the president Paul Loebe.
During M. Goebbels’ speech he pointed to the Jewish deputy, Dr. Kurt Rosenfeld, and shouted “What does the Jew want here?” This utterance caused a storm of protest and the German chancellor, Dr. Wirth, arose and declared “nobody is entitled to insult a part of the German nation. I resent the statement that the Jews are traitors. The Jews have the same right of protection and liberty as all other citizens of the German Republic”.
In the course of the debate Dr. Frick himself took the floor and assured the Reichstag that the National Socialists were also anxious to carry out the provisions of the Constitution. Referring to the anti-Semitic prayers in the Thuringian schools introduced by Dr. Frick, the latter said “I stated that the school prayers were directed against elements of the population alien to the German race and the Jews are the chief part of these elements. Nevertheless these prayers are not prayers of hatred but prayers of freedom”.
The spokesman of the German People’s party, M. von Kardorff, disassociated himself from his party members in Thuringia who lend their support to Dr. Frick’s anti-Semitic program. He called on the German government to establish order in Thuringia and to prohibit the anti-Semitic prayers and to take action against the anti-Semitic professors and the police officials.
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.
