German Jews Prepare to Launch Separate Relief Drive

While Jewish communities throughout Germany were today preparing to launch their own campaigns for Winter relief, the German press published, apparently for foreign consumption, an official denial that German Jews were to be excluded from the benefits of the general relief campaign.

The denial, deliberately couched in evasive, equivocal language, was issued by the German Nachrichten Bureau, official news agency of the government. It stated that reports published abroad that Jews were to be excluded were false and that “the fact is that in the organization of relief work it was foreseen that Jews also would be taken care of.”

The denial, it is pointed out in the Gemeindeblatt, official organ of the Berlin Jewish Community, does not coincide with the actual facts, which are that “Jews this Winter will not be granted anything from the general Winter relief campaign and no funds will be solicited from Jews for this campaign.” This statement by the Gemeindeblatt is accompanied by an appeal for Berlin Jewry to organize its own Winter relief drive.

Furthermore, it is pointed out, the news agency’s denial is contrary to Order No. 39 issued by the Commissioner for Winter Relief in which it is stated that the Jews of Germany are taking care of themselves this year as far as Winter relief is concerned.

It was on the basis of this order that a special campaign “by Jews and for Jews” was announced with the special permission of the Nazi authorities who had decided to extend isolation of the Jews to Winter relief, apparently as a result of the Nuremberg laws.

Despite the misleading denial, Jewish communities throughout Germany today inaugurated, during Soccoth services, the separate relief campaign decided upon on the basis of the official information that Jews would not receive the benefits of the general campaign.

That the launching of the drives was amply justified became apparent when the news bureau’s denial of the exclusion prompted Central headquarters of the German Winter Relief to announce that “the denial of the Deutsche Nachrichten Bureau does not change the situation.”

A permit for the Jewish community of Berlin to carry on its separate campaign was issued by the authorities yesterday. The campaign will be conducted by the Central Federation of Jewish Charities under the supervision of the Reichsvertretung, supreme national representative body of the German Jews.