The signing of the pact between the Reich and France, guaranteeing Saar Jews but one year of equality in the event of a Nazi plebiscite victory, stands head and shoulders above all other news items as the Biggest Jewish News of the Week.
The truth will out, and now it is evident! Money, not humanity, is uppermost in the mind of the French government. For a few paltry dollars—paltry, indeed!— they have sold a faithful folk.
May one expect the Nazis to fulfill the terms of the pact, even for a single year? Have not the brutish Brown shirts displayed their utter disregard of treaties in scores of cases? France knows this very well; and so do the Jews of the Saar Basin, who at this very moment are preparing to flee—flee from certain death, degradation, and humiliation at the hands of the Hitlerites.
With the return of the Saar to Germany almost a certainty, another problem has been thrust upon the Jews at large: How to place the probable Jewish refugees? The dark clouds that have descended upon our brethren will not be easy to dispel; but today the ancient Jewish spirit is dominant.
France has done us a bad turn. Germany has taken one step ahead. Perhaps this is the acid test for us—but the acid has etched one thing in our hearts and minds alike—Fight.
BY DANIEL RAYLESBURG (COLLEGE STUDENT CLASS)
Events within the past week have made it appear certain that the Saar basin will revert back to Germany, with very little consideration given to the Jewish and Catholic minorities.
To say that the Hitler government has promised full rights to all races and religions within the Saar for a full year, and that we therefore need not be pessimistic is touching upon the heights of folly. The history of Germany since Hitler’s rise to power has been one as to preclude any belief that this agreement is more than a "scrap of paper."
Furthermore, what is to become of the Jews after a year should Germany respect its pledge? The League of Nations has by its action deserted the principle upon which it was founded, namely the guaranteeing and protection of the rights and liberties of minorities.
This news is the most important news of the week because it shows that the Jews can no longer depend upon the League. It shows that our salvation must come from ourselves. It shows us that the entire problem confronting Judaism today is merely an outgrowth of the shocking and barbarous situation in Germany.
When Adolf Hitler falls, the heart of the anti-Semitic movement will have been pierced. It is to this end that all the efforts of Jews must be devoted. The boyco#t must be continued and strengthened. We must crush this menace confronting Judaism and civilization.
BY OSCAR WIEDER (HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION)
The most important news of the week in my estimation was the League of Nations action on the Jews in the Saar territory.
For one year after the Saar reverts to Germany (and all indications point to this step) the Jews will be guaranteed their full rights. It offers no promise of hope to the Jews as to what will happen afterwards.
The Saar Jews may at the end of a year be expelled from Germany, raising the question of where to go. Almost every country in the world is closed to them. If they remain in the Saar they become subject to the laws of the Nazi despot, Hitler.
It does not all seem encouraging when a promise is made like the one Germany has given to the League. We cannot accept it in good faith after all the overwhelming evidence against Germany’s previous lies and deceit. In 1914, Germany violated the Belgian neutrality treaty and in a year she will riddle the promise to the League with acts of tyranny, bloodshed, and violence.
To me, this is the biggest Jewish News of the Week because it shows that in 1934 the Jewish question is still being used as a football—a pawn of the great powers. In this instance France, for the sake of a few millions of dollars in coal and other vital commodities, has sold out to Germany leaving the Jews holding the bag. The Jews of the world should rise up against such actions by Germany, France, and the League of Nations.
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.
