In an attempt to counteract the slanders that have been spread regarding the part played by Jewish soldiers during the War, the Reich Federation of Jewish ex-Soldiers organized a public forum here on Wednesday.
The Jewish ex-service men sent out an invitation addressed to comrades of all faiths “to come together for a debate which is to be non-political.”
As a result, over 1,000 German ex-soldiers, including members of the Stahlhelm, the Nazi Storm Troops, and many Jews crowded the Philharmonic in order to listen to the case made out by Dr. Freund, the President of the Federation of Jewish Ex-Service Men.
There was some disturbance at the commencement of the proceedings, a number of Nazis interrupting Dr. Freund, but order was soon restored. It is understood the head of the Berlin Police Department had issued instructions that peace was to be maintained in all circumstances.
Dr. Freund pointed out that thousands of German Jews had fought for the Fatherland on all the fronts, and that more than 12,000 Jews were killed in the course of the War. He also rebutted the charge that the German Jews had no national consciousness. He dealt with the accusation levelled against Jews or inclining towards radicalism, by explaining that Jewish liberalism was the natural reaction to the persecution they had suffered.
A number of speakers spoke in opposition, adducing the argument of Jewish radicalism, that Jews had undermined national sentiment and that Jews were aloof, holding themselves apart from the rest of the German people.
In reply, Dr. Freund stated that the Right Parties had refused to have anything to do with the Jews, and that the object of the present meeting was to prepare the way for Jewish cooperation in the general work of German up-building.
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.
