For the second time within a week Centre party deputies of the Prussian Diet yesterday voted in committee in favor of a Nazi motion calling for discrimination against Jewish artists.
The motion, which called for the exclusion of Jews from employment by radio stations, was subsequently defeated by a vote in the Culture Committee of the Diet, but not before Dr. Lauscher, leader of the Centre Party, had spoken in favor of the motion.
“I am not an anti-Semite,” Dr. Lauscher asserted, “but I declare that Jewish influence prevails in broadcasting. Therefore the Centrum recommends that when new broadcasting officials are appointed, officials who serve the Christian-German culture should prevail.”
Dr. Lauscher’s assertion caused satisfaction in the Nazi camp and consternation in Jewish circles. Jewish circles are particularly perturbed in view of the fact that Centre leaders in a statement issued to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on September 30th said that another Nazi motion calling for the listing of all Jews employed in State theatres and orchestras, for which the Centre deputies had voted in committee would be opposed by them on the floor of the Diet. At the same time the explanation was given that the Centre deputies had not understood the full import of the motion.
The Nazi motion had also asked for the dismissal of all Jews from the Artists Employment Bureau. The Centre deputies opposed this part of the motion.
At yesterday’s session of the Culture Committee where the Nazi motion was defeated, a Socialist, Meier, criticized the new manager of the literary department of the broadcasting station, Arnold Bronner, for denying that his father was a Jew. Bronner’s attitude was labelled by the Socialist as being neither German nor Jewish, but only mean.
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.
