The Grey Book: A collection of protests against anti-semitism and the persecution of Jews issued by non-Roman Catholic churches and church leaders during Hitlers ruleSnoek, Johan M.
Religion
The Grey Book: A collection of protests against anti-semitism and the persecution of Jews issued by non-Roman Catholic churches and church leaders during Hitlers rule
Snoek, Johan M.
Antisemitism; Christianity and other religions -- Judaism; Judaism -- Relations -- Christianity; Protestant churches -- Europe
In 1939, the Hungarian government introduced a bill for the enactment of the
second anti-Jewish Law. The measures included drastic curtailments of personal
rights.
The representatives of the Churches "stood solidly against the passage of the
bill" but ultimately "refrained from voting down the Teleki government," that
is to say they did not vote against the passage of the Law but tried "to
incorporate such provisions in the law as would insure the greatest possible
benefits for particular Jewish categories, the first among these being the
Jewish converts to Christianity". [166]
Hilberg comments:
"In waging the struggle for the baptized Jews in the first place, the church
had implicitly declined to take up the struggle for Jewry as a whole. In
insisting that the definition exclude Christians, the church in effect stated
the condition upon which it would accept a definition that set aside a group
of people for destruction." [167]
<65>
15 RUMANIA
We hardly found any statement against anti-Semitism issued by one of the
Orthodox Church leaders in Eastern Europe, before the second world war.
Rumania was notorious for the strong anti-Semitic influences in that country.
The following Declaration, issued on April 15, 1933, by Mgr. Pimem,
Metropolitan of Moldavia and Suceava, is the more striking:
"We now are in the Holy Week and for a time we must forget petty affairs and
acts of men. Nevertheless I wish to state one thing, namely, that I do not
approve of the actions and policies of the Nazis with respect to the Jews of
Germany, just as I disapprove of the anti-Christian campaign carried out in
Russia.
I desire peace for the entire world and on the occasion of this Holy Feast I
express my wishes for the health and progress of our people. We should follow
but one course: the way of Christ, for only thus can we be led to salvation."
[168]
16 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND
Many leaders of the Churches in Great Britain publicly protested against
the first anti-Jewish measures in Germany. Most of the protests were made
by the leaders of the Church of England, though some made by other Churches
are also recorded. The Church of England, however, certainly had the widest
range of influence in England. I have not recorded all protests that were
made. [169] <66>
Already in 1933 the protests were clear and unequivocal, though the Church
leaders seemed to be afraid of offending the German Government. The
Archbishop of Canterbury said in the House of Lords, on March 30, 1933,
in reply to statements made by Lord Reading:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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