<< Back to Newspaper Articles
Headline

Rabbi Baum Describes Persecution of Jews

German Action Compared to Dark Ages in Talk
Publication Date
Saturday, November 19, 1938
Historical Event
Anti-Jewish Riots Convulse German Reich (Kristallnacht)
This database includes 5,092 articles about this event
Tags
Gannett full page downloadable
Early Acts of Persecution
Article Type
News Article
Newspaper
Weekly Town Talk
Location
Alexandria, Louisiana
Page Section and Number
6
Author/Byline
Wednesday's Daily
Article Text
Persecution of the Jewish people in Germany was described as a form of barbarism and hatred reminiscent of the dark ages by Rabbi Baum in an address delivered at the Christian church last night.

The intense feeling that has been aroused in the United States due to persecution of the Jewish people in Germany was reflected in Alexandria the meeting at which Rabbi Baum was the principal speaker.

Rabbi Baum spoke on "World Peace as Interpreted by a Jew." The First Christian church was filled to capacity at the meeting held under the auspices of the Woman's Missionary Society.

Rabbi Baum was introduced by Rev. Theodore McElroy, pastor of the Christian church.

In his preliminary remarks, Rabbi Baum stated: "The invitation to speak was not a spontaneous one." He showed how for years the rabbi and ministers have worked, side by side for advancement of all races and creeds.

He then sketched the Christian-Jewish relationship in Alexandria for the past 100 years and showed that during this period through both peace and war spirit of neighborliness has been manifested.

Rabbi Baum pointed to four ways in which the Christians might help bring about world peace. They are: Pray and re-affirm faith in God; Protest with all the power in their being against any trade or diplomatic relationship with a nation ruled by gangsters; sacrifice money to humanity and John G. McDonald who is attempting to salvage the refugees, and finally denounce all attempts to spread race hate and attacks on religious beliefs of others.

"I would not dare speak on world peace tonight if it were not for the inspiration I have received from men like Rev. McElroy and other Christian people of this community," he said, "how can I speak of world peace when my people are being subjected to a form of barbarism and hate, reminiscent of the dark ages?"

"Why has the once great and cultured Germany inflicted such punishment upon a weak and helpless people?" he asked.

Rabbi Baum then drew the picture of what has happened in Germany as follows:

"There was a great and prosperous country in which lived a small group of men and women set apart from the majority because of their religion. They lived peacefully according to their own ideas, making converts to their own religion from time to time and attempting to make the world a better place in which to live. But they were not left alone. As the country in which they lived sank further into the depths of depression, as the rulers of the nation felt their power crumbling, a scapegoat was needed so that public wrath might be deflected from the mighty leaders. And so this small group was selected as the victims.

"They were accused of subversive influences. They were accused of disloyalty to the State because they refused to acknowledge the spiritual sway of the head of the government. They were charged with the crime of pacifism. In their religious practices they were accused of outlandish rites, even to the extent of ritual murder. When a great fire took place in the capital of the State, they were accused of arson. When a plague decimated the population, they were accused of having the caused it.

"Persecution became the order of the day. Innocent men and women were hounded and hundreds of them met violent deaths. While the mob howled its satisfaction, these people were oppressed and driven from pillar to post.

The speaker quoted the following from Phyllis Bottome's Mortal Storm:

"To be a Jew is to belong to an old harmless race that has lived in every country in the world; and that has enriched every country it has lived in.

"It is to be strong with a strength that has outlived persecutions. It is to be wise against ignorance, honest against piracy, harmless against evil, industrious against idleness, kind against cruelty! It is to belong to a race that has given Europe its religion; its moral law and much of its science—perhaps even more of its genius—in art, literature and music.

"This is to be a Jew!"

At the conclusion of the meeting, those present were so intensified by Rabbi Baum's address that a collection was given voluntary to aid the refugees in Germany.
History Unfolded Contributor
Chelsea H.
Location of Research
Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com)

Learn More about this Historical Event: Anti-Jewish Riots Convulse German Reich (Kristallnacht)

Bibliography

Gilbert, Martin. Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Pehle, Walter H., ed. November 1938: From "Reichskristallnacht" to Genocide. New York: Berg, 1991.

Read, Anthony. Kristallnacht: The Nazi Night of Terror. New York: Times Books, 1989.

Schwab, Gerald. The Day the Holocaust Began: The Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan. New York: Praeger, 1990.

All articles about this event
Rabbi Baum Describes Persecution of Jews
Download the full newspaper page
See full image on newspapers.com
Newspaper images provided by
Feedback