Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the World Jewish Congress, today told a press conference here that there was no “realistic danger” facing the Jews of Germany or the world if the symptoms demonstrated by the current anti-Jewish incidents “are not underestimated.”
The world Jewish leader said be was convinced that the West German Government would now take steps to teach its youth about the crimes of the Hitler era and reeducate older citizens. He made his statement following a conference with interior Minister Gerhard Schroeder. Previously, Dr. Goldmann had discussed the anti-Semitic incidents in West Germany with Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and with some of the Chancellor’s top aides.
Dr. Goldmann called upon the governments of the world to probe into the possibility that the recent anti-Semitic manifestations in this country and elsewhere were the result of a centrally directed campaign by an international anti-Semitic movement.
There have been international meetings held recently by neo-Nazi and Fascist groups, he stated, while anti-Semitic pamphlets and similar literature are being circulated internationally. Large sums of money were transferred from Germany abroad after the collapse of the Nazi regime in 1945, Dr. Goldmann stated, declaring it could be expected that use for anti-Semitic purposes would be made of those funds.
Stating that he would not exclude Communist direction of worldwide anti-Semitism, Dr. Goldmann said, however, that he did not accept the theory that all the incidents were organized by Communists. “Communists,” he said, “have seized the opportunity offered by the recent outbreaks to send in agents provocateurs to stir up anti-Semitic feelings and thus take advantage of the situation.”
He praised the “very energetic” actions of the West Berlin authorities in rounding up the perpetrators of anti-Semitic incidents and said that the West Berlin actions should serve as an example to other areas “where similar energy has not been shown.”
(In Washington, the State Department today made known that it has investigated the recent outbreak of anti-Semitism in West Germany and found no evidence to indicate that Communists were responsible. In a letter to Rep. Cornelius E. Gallagher, New Jersey Democrat, Assistant Secretary of State William B. Macomber revealed the Department’s findings.)
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.
