To the Editor of the Jewish Daily Bulletin:
While the Jews of the world are boycotting, protesting and parading, Hitler, Goering and Goebbels are not swerved one whit from their determination of a “cold pogrom” against German Jews—a slow, sure extermination process. The Nazi leaders are impelled by two motives in this direction—they need a scapegoat to focalize the attention of their followers until they get their program in work and by wholesale discharge of Jews from their positions, they provide thousands of jobs for their Nazi rank and file.
If we recognize the desperateness of the situation, the Jews of the world will show their concrete sympathy and strong solidarity with their German brethren by embarking on a practical plan of relieving them from the Nazi terror which will only be satisfied with the complete destruction of the Jews, economically, spiritually and physically.
The plan I suggest carries with it the large-scale evacuation of the half-million German Jews to Spain, which country would welcome them and this move would provide a dramatic climax in the world history of the Jews. The movement of this large number of German Jews would require a sum approximately of $50,000,000 which would also act as a subsidy fund until the evacuated Jews would adjust themselves to the conditions of the new country.
This sum of $50,000,000 would be raised as follows:
15,000 contributions of $1,000… $15,000,000
25,000 contributions of $500… 12,500,000
50,000 contributions of $250… 12,500,000
100,000 contributions of $100… 10,000,000
$50,000,000
A total of 190,000 Jews in all parts of the world would be called upon to contribute this total sum—a little over 1% of the Jewish population of all countries.
The committee of 1,000 would be drawn from all sections of Jewish society who will undoubtedly sink whatever small differences they may cling to in the tremendous plan of raising this monumental fund and its consummation would not only act as a powerful consolidating force among the Jews of the globe but would also be an impressive symbol to the world at large that in times of attack and stress, the Jewish race is a unit in fighting back and is willing to make any individual sacrifice to relieve the distress of their fellow Jews.
Another important purpose to be served by this “German evacuation plan” is to serve notice on Hitler and his clan that the Jews of the world stand ready to relieve him of his Semitic phobias. He will have no possible answer to that excepting to assent. If he refuses to cooperate in this plan, then the world at large will understand that he wants to keep the Jews in Germany as a “whipping boy” to vent the spleen of the Nazis whenever their ill-begotten schemes go awry.
Several arguments may be advanced against this plan. A chief one is perhaps the inability of German Jews to adjust themselves readily to the conditions of a new country. It is my contention that the German Jew by training, ability and aggressiveness can overcome and adapt himself in short order, and Spain, which is backward in its economic development, would profit enormously by the ability and zealous loyalty which these expatriated German Jews would bestow on a new “fatherland”.
As regards the professional classes, the barrier of language can be easily hurdled. Undoubtedly, it will be found that many German Jews in these classes have a working knowledge of Spanish.
Details can be worked out by special committees. The imperative thing is that as long as the expropriated German Jews are permitted to remain in Germany, they will be hounded and, if events provoke the development, “pogromed”. In the face of this established situation the Jews of the world have no other alternative but to remove the German Jews from an impending conflagration. Protests are only whis###
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.
