With plans for the celebration of German Day in the Madison Square Garden on December 6 advancing rapidly under the sponsorship of the Steuben Society of America, who on Sunday announced their intention of hoisting the swastika banner in the garden and inviting Dr. Hans Luther, the German ambassador, to address the gathering, the Federation of German-Jewish Socities will meet tonight to define the German Jewish attitude toward the occasion.
Theodore Hoffman, head of the Steuben Society, in an address before the Plattdeutsche Society in the Brooklyn Schwaben Hall on Sunday, related the events incidental to a recent visit to Washington, where he invited President Roosevelt to attend the German Day celebration, and announced a few of the features scheduled for the fest. He said that the program will not be announced until Wednesday night, when the Steuben Society will meet with representatives from other German
American groups to approve the plans. The meeting will take place in the Teutonia Hall.
According to Hoffman, the president spoke for a half-hour with the Steuben Society representatives and promised to take under consideration his participation in the celebration.
Mr. Hoffman also said that invitations had been extended to high United States Army and Navy officials to take part in the occasion. All responses are not expected to be in until Wednesday.
“Naturally,” Mr. Hoffman said, “we are inviting the German ambassador to attend the celebration. This invitation has been expressed orally to the ambassador during our visit to the capital.”
He explained that in acquiesence to those influenced by sentiment toward an “extremely spirited” dictator on the Jewish question, no party uniforms would be worn by those attending the celebration, but, regarding the display of the swastika banner, he said that the presence of the ambassador would make imperative the hoisting of both flags of the Reich as well as the Stars and Stripes.
Other speakers at the meeting appealed for unity among the various German-American organizations in their efforts to put over the German Day celebration. A vote of confidence was asked from representatives of the United German Societies, traditional sponsors of the affair, whose plans were suspended this year by Mayor O’Brien when it was decided the occasion was to be used as a medium for the spread of Nazi propaganda.
The Brooklyn Plattdeutsche Society voted to protest to the mayor and City Court officials against an alleged attack upon Germans launched by Magistrate Strahl, who demanded before a lodge that German goods, merchants, and services be boycotted in protest against Hitlerism in Germany.
Unless their former decision is reversed at tonight’s meeting, a turn that is considered most unlikely, the Federation of German Jewish Societies will adhere to their resolution of two months ago to take no part in affairs at which the swastika banner is on display.
Whether or not Jewish organizations will oppose the new German Day celebration will also be discussed at tonight’s meeting. The extension of an invitation to President Roosevelt is considered in many circles as a manoeuver on the part of the Steuben Society to checkmate protest on the part of Jewish organizations.
It is believed that no definite action will be taken by Jewish societies until the speaking program and plan of decorations have been announced by the Steuben Society.
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.
