THE CASE OF by HERMANN FUERNBERG k , 4 EUROPEAN JEWS | - 5 ‘ 4 \ \ 4 5 5 4 5 4 | 4 5 5 \ § \ § 4 4 ieNew York, May 1942, ‘The Jewish people may today be divided into thee groups differing widely from one another: (1) Jewry under dicect or indirect domination of the Axis powers. (2) Jeweyrunder the jurisdiction of Soviet Russia. (3) Jewsy resident in the British Empire, U.S.A. and states within their sphere of influence. . Antisemitism in group is openly acknowledged, politicaily aggressive and is frankly driving towards the extermination or at least the isolation of the Jewish people. In Russia antisemitsim is forbidden by law. (The fight against the! Jewish religion is part of the general fight against all religion.) ‘The Russians deny the existence of any antisemitism in thoic country, ut it is not known whether it has actually totally disappeared from this country formerly noted for its pogroms. Group 3 countries condemn in their offical and intellectual state- ‘ments antisemitism of all kinds, without, however, being able-to-prevent efficiently the: growth of anti-Jewish movements and their aggressive propaganda... Such propaganda may specially be noticed in countries on the fringe of this group (for instance in some South American countries and in the Polish aemy). The fate of group 1 seems to me already a foregone conclusion, that of group 2 and 3 will be’ dependent upon how strongly democracy will develop aftec the war. Special thought should now be given t + group I of the Jewish people,: those under Axis domination. : ‘The. Nazis have never left us in any doubt as to what the fate of Encopean Jews would be if Hitler should win this wae, As, however, ihe, victory, OF the United Nations is a certainty and only a question of time,.we nced.not waste time over Hitler's ideas, of the Jewish question. But the question of the fate of Huropean Jewry as a whole cannot be > Jefe open till after conclusion of the war. ° This problem has occupied the allesition of the world for a long time and must be satisfactorily seltled as one of the requisites for a peaceful post-war development. Let us examine some of the solutions already offered; the enumera- tion which follows does not pretend to be complete but does include the mote important and fundamental. ideas. on-the subject. (A) The cetuen of all expelled Jews to their country of origin, «This proposal is often made by Jews all over the world whose own, position is secure, who do not like to hear of even the existence of the problem affecting European Jewry, and who nourish the hope that'.a democratic victory will automatically rc-cstablish conditions’ in Europe as they were before Hitler's seizure of power. This attituce is wl)also prevalent found subs found still directly or Probably it will ty rope and re-est ore gg tomesick European emigres and ‘is sometimes among those who nial Festitution of wrt those who have suffered in their persons: for any length of tive ttsder the Hitler regiine indirectly % possi on their returs their property. This a and certainly ‘not alter a democratic victory expect ttitude will rately’ be 1ong those who vegelate under Nazi domination, Spelled Jews such a possibility will not exite Hitler is There will he, aller the wat, conditions for honest the exp fn the int Europe appears most cven today deporting therefore, Whatever befalls, too man, gite apart from the fact thar Jews in Poland were fae from idea ressions of lcrest of U isemitic mentality, ible for a selected few to return to Central ‘ablish their life there, but fo r the broad mass of farge numbers of Jaws to Polands. ¥ Jews in that countey lung before this war l. We may accept as Opinions and intentions made by Pesce stales- rat eck. dependent as they are on ‘Rood-w their former ag he Jews themsel: undesirable. One is enti {all of Hitler and the end of tke war will eith Of the Nozis of bring th viving’ Nazis will, con pecessary; these Nazis will no for the lost wa will not have fost its popular appeal «upon their idolized: Hit Ie is certain that- any democratic government Power in post: Courage’ and’ oppo Feason th; war Germ ‘ill of the democracies, It may be that ‘the ‘h will come to ted Europe will dis. f for not better with the democratic inne th nig 8 equally certain thane Keep themselves in pood stands ing: with: theie ‘are to open w Jess and wi Wn popu 0. this not Nazi antisemities, but esp {ality ‘enyendered’ by. ten ations may “hive t0 take ing Out schemes for cooperation willl the German of Hitler, the tation, these postwar go ide the doors of Weir countries to a late number of abolish restrictions against Jews “DE JURE" only. They J will be forced ony {nough the underground activitig of the pecially th ws of Nazi education t foward the Jews.” It seems extreinely improbable People who ha femained silent We lormeni at their persecution, welcome the Jews back jaf i against them? — Even if led theie Jewish fellow rough the. gene a. ‘nthe United or wile ty, ime consideration when works people. ould suddenly feel an wage to © theic midst and undo the wrong perpetrated a large number of Ge BZ) mans should fecl ahase of shame at their behavior towards theit Jewish fellow citizens, they will still prefer that the Jews already. outside the country should fon thie eee api eeethcless they may be willing to assist with schon for their rehabilitation elsewhere, qucie are my feazons for believing that a general ceturn of Jews te Ceniral-Europe ftom Poland and elsewhere neither possible’ nor desirable in. the interest cither of the Jews themstivec aot rapid and general pacification of Europe. CO caAnoter group holds the opinon that a general retutn of JoWs {© Central and. Western-Burope will not be possible, but does belicve thas a distribution of the Jews among the sare noft-European Seulsics by a system of quotas will be possible and sheald na demanded at the peace conference. Anis Sroup sill thinks in técms of infilteation. it is rectuited {atgely from Jews living in security in Anglo Sixon countries, unwilling Tene the wave of antisemitism enveloping. much af the world. It is charactecistic of this group that they regard any Jewish scheme fot collective emigration of Jews from Europe as “appeasement towards gitisemites. "The half-hearted help given to the bowen, Jews of Gantral Burope after the pogrom of 1938 is in past due wate ideas of ‘nfitration which had otiginated with this: group! in Jewry, —~ = feepe htt the system of infikteation. cannot be carcied through for really large masses of the Jewish people has been proved by the stringent laws iguinst immigeation’ by one state after another ia. recent years (and by the lack of success of the Evién conference in July 1938). The danger of infiltration is bejeAly that Jews like all other peoples follow the line of least resistance. as these with pation not only offer him a livelihood but give him, atealer-onoortenities for learning. new tradea, Furthermeze the Jesh migrant, spicitualy, depressed, cannot do without ate diversions affeved by'a city, and thrown into strange surroundings and a new mode of fife endeavors to surround himself with Elon at acquaintances of his own: type. All these tendencies of the Jewish emigrant ate easily compre. hensible to:his fellow-Jews, but notvin the leet comprehensible to the wicked antisemite and often not even to the well-wishing Gentile. The Jewish immigrants will tend to congeegate abcoad in the larger ie arrival of a laege number of foreign ‘Jews brings with it rediately an increase in local antisemitism, People like -to explain this fact only as the effect of Axis propaganda, and is foc that “Axis Propaganda increase and speeds up’ the process, but this inet anti- Bae at Hnpecn observed in all parts’ of the world even ketee the Fike ,of Hitler wherever there has ‘been a sudden incre in Jewish immigration. 3) 2 seachievements to its cred‘s, but in spite of 40 years of propagan ida has Tendh a ble to convert to its side the great mass of che Jewish people, Until recently its propaganda seemed mere concerned with the collection of amoncy than with the kindly of enthudsey fe an actual Jewish slate in Palestine, ‘The funds were colleand on the plea that Jews persecuted in Poland must have 4 fresh start in Palestine, and later the same appeal was made on behalf of Jews from Germany, And the Jewish people did contribute large sums, especially the American Jews, not so much because they were particularly interested in a Jewish state in Ps to their hard pressed w-religichists in Europe and showing solidarity with Judaism as a whole. cine, or intended to live there themselves: bet ‘because they believed they were In tine way fulfilling their obligati. ions their. By and lacge it has always been a gesture of charity and piety, ~ But throtgh the ‘onists were able to. build a umber of q Which owing to the deacth of other suitabit Jewi Ssumption (of power by Hitler, assumed greater ey at a “whole. Nevertheless: these organizations hag of arousing even among theit own adherent sent standing of the real significance of the current ue as to make the cry for a Jewish state the united people. fund-caising campaigns of these 40 years ‘the jhe United: States ‘which supplied the bulk of the funds for Palestine, had, according to Zionist satistiee in wg a membership of opty 200,000 or that is 50% of the Jewish Population, and this, ia spite Pf the fact that 80% of the Jewish: press ist Henne dominated, and this in spite of the fact that Hitler had been ia Power almost nine years, Hitler's coming to power: gave:Zionism appatently a great inccease of strength, awhich; however, was soon proved illusory, ‘The incre: immigration into Palestine ~~ both legal sed ih asin, legal — brought with it increasing resistance — and not only from the Meee world. The opposi- tion! {0 Jewish immigration (infiltration), observable throughout’ the Matade appeared in Palestine in an accentusted fore due to the peculiar pisloric conditions of the country “and forward by the Zionists. Furthermore, it soon became clear pilestine was. by no means able tp abserb ali aes Jews compelle leave theie home-land the consequent demands put d to This fact is not affected by assertions to the themacdet'®* bY demands. for more territory made by the Zionists theraselves, A short time’ ago a Zionist weiter in New York stated Palestine is as large as the Jews inake it — if millions came, there wi bes) that ouldbe room for millions. Such phrases do nol increase the sit « of Palestine inish other people's resistance to a Jewish state te On the conteary, such phrases afford no help to the hunted Jews of Europe but can only do them harm Zionism clai 's Transjordania for the Jewish state About ‘Transjordania Dr. Isracl Zwi Kanner, a leading Zionist, TOBE A fis BOOK, "The Arab States Neighbouring Palestine.” published 1538 by Josef Bell in Vienna, Austeia, on page 43 s0 follows, whien B speaking of the founding of ue State of ‘ivaniceda ro tis way aginst all the rulings of the Mandate she fertile 17.000 square miles (italics by De. Kanner)” comprising ‘neatly. two- ihieds of the territory destined for the Jewish nations home were cut “off from Eretz Isracl. No inhabitant of those bare rocks and barren - sever dreamed that here was the place for an independent These two: sentences. are jointed immediately ‘ong, following. the: other., 3 4 Bloc : Mall what is this ‘Transjordania, claimed by the Zionists in reality . is Fertile.or is it barren? Impartial observers say it is unsuitable for colonization arid can be - # used only for extensive caithé-raising, and thus hold et little hope for piiss-immigsation. But. even if these observers ate wrong, and the : Gionists. eink, when they, state that Transjordeeaa ee fertile, how does “to this help the position of the million of Jews in Europe? Palestine including Negheb has’an area of ‘approximately 10,000 of anprugs and @ population of 2,100,000; ‘Translerdente toe ak atea ‘Ta Paletnely 17,000, square miles ‘and’ a population of 350,000. In Palestige there ate therefore to me A heeeoaludiog Transjordania’ approximately 94 PP juare me Allcgethee there ace shook 300,000 Jews in Palestine nine Set age 600.0095 Arabs. “The ‘eats at natural among-the Arabs‘ is ly double that of the Jews “pe 4000 out of Palestine’s 10,000 square’ miled ate catirely unsuitable for colonization, and Transjordania’s 47,000 square miles are also. by Spe ekg eal leetitory for colonization.” Vor purposes af comparison, one. should state that in Europe serious economic difficulties arose when: sete slensity of population exceeded 130 per square’ mile — and this . inder economic conditions vastly more favorable tha Palestine, “y approximately 210 people per” Apart from all political opposition therefore the future of mass jimmigcation in Palestine is not at all « bright one. These considerations mast have heen in the amind of Dr. Chaim Toqzmane when he declared in Washington Dries on. April 16, JPtL (as quoted by the Washington Post Sa the followitig day), that | ifthe quota: permitied, Palestine was capable of absorbing 60,000 to 70,000 people! per ansean (6)3 sf © 250,000 annually. Up to this point 1 have endeavored to describe the vatious points of view which exist regarding the post-war (ate of European Jewcy. T will now make some constructive proposals as to how the Jews ‘might both in their own “interest and in the interest of all ad, But before 1 come to the actual proposal 1 beg the reader. to consider a few points. It is a fact that Europe is ovérpopulated. It is a Tact that the signatorics of the tre: iter the fast war must have know this, but failed to take this into their calculations. Ik is a fact that this failure of the peace conferences played its part in the development of the various “isms in Europe. It is a fact that this failuce is pactly the cause of the present war, 2 . ,. Before the war of 1914-18 mort’ than two million people emigeated annually from Europe. ‘The peace “tteaties of 1920 closed almost all overseas ‘states and the number of ‘emigrants (com Burope sunk about It. is almost self-evident that the! peace treaties: following this war will have to consider carefully this question of European overpopulation. Even this totalitarian war will not'have cost as many—lives~as- is represented by Eucope’s surplus popélation and after this war, a3 after all wars, the birthrate will rise. z . If the future peace conference fajls to take measures to alleviate this “situation they will be doing democraty a bad tuen, for a fresh closing of doors against European emigration will and must lead to a. fres + and still more’ overwhelming explosion than the present war. The fanatical hatred of ITitler has picked out one group of people living, in, Europe — let us forge for the. moment that they are Jews and think of thei simply as hinan beidgs — torn them: out of their regular surroundings and occupations and itis very doubtful whether they will ever he able to return to tliem. One, thing is. very clear and that 1s:that. the alteinpt fo ‘reinstate them will be ‘extremely difficult. ‘To summarize: These j:cople have been eliminated from the life of Burope without actually haying, left that continent, therefore it cannot fe amiss (© propose that Uey should How he enabled to emigrate actually from it Ay emigration by infiltration presumably will be out-of the question as it will méct opposition (whethee” justified oF unjustified docs not aflect_the arguinent) organized collective “emigration will obviously suggest itself’ especially ata only ha sof survival for these groups. But it can only be undeitaken with definite, and. specific political faguafantées, "This means in any opinion they be guaranteed in their country. of settlement not only immediately full rights of citizenship, but also the rights and possibility of full democratic self-government. a (fb) 1e when collective action:-tepresents the,