[1.10. Kahn's
expectations from a possible Hitler Germany: New
Jewish refugees]
[14 Dec 1930: Kahn about
the Hitler Nazism - Jewish emigration from Germany has
just begun]
Bernhard Kahn was, as we have seen, a man of penetrating
intelligence. It is therefore not in the least surprising
that he should have commented on the rise of the Nazi
movement with more than ordinary perspicacity. In a
remarkable speech at the home of James N. Rosenberg on
December 14, 1930, he analyzed the Nazi electoral victory
of 1930, which made them the second largest party in the
German Reichstag. Then he dealt with the hope of many Jews
that the Hitlerian movement would not amount to much
(p.54)
more than did the anti-Semitic movement in Germany in the
1890s. He warned against such a comparison: "The
anti-Semitism in Germany today is more dangerous than the
former outbreaks of this Jew-hatred."
This new movement fed on both the economic misery and the
political unrest resulting from World War I. However, Kahn
said, "there ist no possibility of disenfranchising German
Jews if the Hitlerites should form part of the government.
It may be that then some of the Jewish immigrants, or the
foreign Jews, would suffer. There would be some expulsion
of foreign Jews, of whom there are 100,000 in Germany",
but even these would be "partly protected" by their
governments, not because of a love of Jews but because
these states had a "bone to pick with Germany".
If the anti-Semites came to power, Kahn surmised, "there
may be no pogroms (although even these are possible)", but
the Jews would be driven out of positions in the political
and administrative apparatus. A number of Jews were
already moving out of Germany, and the economic squeeze
that the Jews could expect if the present trend continued
would cause misery and the desire to leave. The great
danger was that the Nazis might gain control of the
provincial governments, especially in Prussia. Even today,
Kahn said, "the atmosphere is almost intolerable. The
situation of the German Jews is very critical" and JDC
could soon expect calls for help from Germany. Kahn saw a
clear connection between the anti-Semites in Germany and
anti-Semitic outbreaks in Eastern Europe: "The teaching of
anti-Semitism goes out from Germany."
[18 Nov 1931: Kahn
expects from Nazi Germany discrimination - no "medieval
persecution"]
As the Nazis gained in influence, Kahn became increasingly
worried. In the course of an address to a group of rabbis
a year after the Rosenberg meeting, he again returned to
this theme.
(End note 32: File 39, 18 November 1931)
This time he expressed the fear that the danger in Germany
was considerably greater than what he had feared a year
previously. Nevertheless, he expected economic
discrimination rather than "medieval persecutions".
The same opinion is found in his letter to Cyrus Adler and
others on February 2, 1932.
(End note 33: File 70)
He assumed that if elections were held now, (p.55)
the Nazis would get 180 to 190 seats (actually, they got
230 in the July 1932 elections). They might come to power
if they allied themselves with right-wing groups, such as
Alfred Hugenberg's German National People's party or even
the Catholic Center party, but these conservative allies
would not allow Jew-baiting. "It would be a different
matter if with a government of Nazis and others, the Nazis
were to seize absolute power by a coup d'etat and maintain
it. Then it would of course depend on who the president
would be at that time" - surely an amazingly accurate
description of what actually happened a year later.
[One year later discrimination was starting with
concentration camp systems. Hitler eliminated other
parties and by this seized the absolute power. Systematic
discrimination of Jews by Nuremburg laws was coming in
1935, and systematic deportation began in 1940, and
systematic mass death happened 1942-1945 when the fast
victory against Russia did not come and tunnel systems
were blasted into the hills and the fight of the Red Army
was lasting 4 years long].
[Kahn expects the
expulsion of the foreign Jews from Germany - Kahn
suggests preparation for admitting foreign Jewish
refugees from Germany]
There were 100,000 foreign and stateless Jews in Germany,
Kahn said, 42,000 of whom were Polish and 40,000 were
Austrian. The Nazis would probably turn first against
these. But Kahn was no longer as sanguine as he had been
previously regarding the possibility of foreign
governments intervening in behalf of their Jewish
citizens. Laws would be enacted, ostensibly against trades
but actually directed against the Jews. There would
probably be no pogroms unless the Nazis achieved power
through an overthrow of the government. While "medieval
persecution" was not envisaged, the Jews would
nevertheless suffer a great deal. Therefore, refugees had
to be expected from Germany. The point of this letter to
Cyrus Adler was that quiet preparations should now be made
(in April 1932!) to meet such an emergency.
The year 1932 began on this note, and this extremely
discouraging situation continued throughout the year. East
European Jewry was starving, unemployed, desperate. "The
record of Jewish insolvency and even suicide is a tragic
one", Hyman wrote.
(End note 34: Report by Bressler and Hyman on Europe,
1930, JDC Library)
German Jewry was faced with a frightening tide of rising
Nazism, and American Jewry was struck by a depression that
seemed to make any attempt to collect money illusory. Yet
something had to be done to save European Jewry. "My big
brother must be with me if his strength shall be of any
use to me. His shouting from far away would not help
much."
(End note 35: Executive Committee, Kahn, 11 Nov 1931)
Then in January 1933 Hitler came to power. (p.56)
[And the industrials in Germany protected Hitler, and many
thought it would be only an interim government].
