problem comes under the same heading.
Even though we understand that events may be motivated by political
considerations, our conscience is burdened by such events in three ways.
First, because the rejection of the poorest of the refugees was not an
act of humanity.
Second, because any claim to humanitarianism becomes hypocritical.
And third, because it was an act of ingratitude towards God, who has so
graciously protected our own country. Now we may well fear that, after
what has happened, God will no longer be for us, but against us."
The morning session ended with words of greetings by the Rev. Hans Roduner,
who thanked the authorities for their consent "to revoke the painful measures
in force against the refugees". He called upon the Young Church to make great
sacrifices for the refugees and ensure the support of fifty of them.
The reply of Federal Councillor von Steiger, who spoke in the afternoon,
was typical of the Government point of view:
"Of course the Federal Councillor would like to help all the refugees. However,
when thousands of victims of a shipwreck cry out for help, the one in command
of a small and fully occupied lifeboat, that is limited in capacity and
provisions, must seem heartless if he cannot take them all into his boat.
Nevertheless, it is humane to give warning against false hopes, and at least
try to save those already aboard. As regards the measures adopted concerning
the refugee problem, Federal Councillor von Steiger is prepared to accept full
responsibility." [473]
Since September 26, 1942, the following categories of refugees were admitted:
a. Obviously ill persons and pregnant women.
b. Refugees over 65 years old; married couples if at least one of them was
over 65 years. <214>
c. Children under the age of 16 travelling alone.
d. Parents with children under 16 years.
e. Refugees who claimed and could prove that they had close relatives in
Switzerland or, otherwise, close relations with Switzerland (Residence for
a long time).
However, French Jews without exception had to be deported "as they were in no
danger in their own country". In doubtful cases (when it was not clear whether
a refugee came under one of the categories mentioned, or when deportation
appeared to be exceptionally severe) the Police Department had to be contacted
by telephone. It was ascertained that 3,800 persons had entered Switzerland
illegally during September. [474]
On October 28, 1942, in his opening address to the Synod of Zurich, Dr. Wollf
said:
"... The dominant spirit, in no way identical with the sentiments of the
people, has become despondent and even pitiable. Its exponents, who can
be found not only in the Federal Council but also in the Parliament, pay
homage to the opinion that expediency, craftiness and a so-called realistic
policy are greater importance to our salvation than the spirit of the Gospel
and of freedom and of truth.
The misery of the dominant spirit has become evident in recent months in
the shameless treatment of the refugees.
We must not pass over in silence the disgrace and shame we have brought
upon ourselves when, because of cold political calculations, we returned
to misery and threat of death, those refugees who believed they had found
within our borders a refuge from danger...
It is not the beauties of our country nor our safe existence, which make
Switzerland worthy of our defence and devotion, but the fact that it is
the centre of freedom and justice.
The Declaration of the Federal Council and the three coalition parties,
contained no sign of their having grasped the challenge of the hour. [475]
In contrast to this, it may be said that the Reformed Church, and, in
particular, the Executive Committee of the Swiss Federation of Evangelical
Churches, has in no uncertain manner fought for recognition of the demands
of our Christian conscience.
These have found their most impressive formulation by the President of our
Federation of Churches: <215>
'God, through His commandments in the Old and New Testament, has placed us
unequivocally on the side of the weak, the oppressed and the destitute, no
matter what their race or nationality. Confession of faith in Jesus Christ
is, for the Christian, almost always also related to recognition of our
responsibility to our suffering brothers. The least of His brethren to-day
are the oppressed refugees in their physical and mental distress. Christ
will either find us on their side or on the side of His persecutors.'
The mitigations, now granted by the authorities, may be accepted as revoking
their heartless orders. But this is not a lasting or definite solution.
The fight for an honourable and humane conduct must continue. Protests
alone will not suffice.
Indignation is shallow if it is unaccompanied by the will to act. The
members of the Church, as well as its critics, justly demand that it put
up a determined stand on behalf of the outcasts.
Generous contributions to the Refugee fund, and willingness to accept
refugees in our homes, must now furnish proof that our nation wishes its
ancient Christian traditions to be upheld. Each one of us should do his
part to atone for our guilt in this matter.
Injustice, force and inhumanity triumph around our borders. These terrible
events can no longer allow us only to consider expediency. The only truly
realistic policy is the one which accepts God as the highest Reality, and
considers Him more important than all calculations of worldly wisdom, which
only lead us astray." [476]
In the months October and November, 1942, a general collection for the Aid
to Refugees was held. Because of political considerations on the part of
the authorities concerned, the planned 5-minute broadcasts could not take
place. Nevertheless, the General Management of the broadcasting services
agreed to broadcast short appeals under the slogan "Contribute towards an
Asylum for the Homeless". [477] The "Swiss Central Office for Aid to Refugees"
stated:
"If, however, the result of the fundraising is disappointing, all is lost. Not
only will the organizations have no more money, but our opponents who even now
are urging the complete closing of our borders, will then say to the Federal
Government: 'Close the doors, let nobody in. The Swiss people do not want
them...'" [478]
Many Church leaders publicly recommended this collection. Prof. Karl Bart did
so in the following words:
<216>
"There are reasons for and against aid to refugees as currently suggested to
us Swiss. The reasons for are:
The Christian reason. 'In as much as ye have done it unto one of these least,
ye have done it unto me.' The refugees are our concern: not because they are
valuable or agreeable human beings, but because in all the world they are
to-day the lowest and the most miserable people, and as such they, with their
inseparable companion the Saviour, knock on our door. They are our concern,
not in spite of their being Jews but just because they are Jews, and as such
are the Saviour's brethren in the flesh. (I suggest that this first reason is
the strongest and may well be the one decisive and effective reason in this
matter).
The Swiss reason. The refugees (whether they are aware of it or not) do us a
great honour, in looking upon our country and seeking it out as the last refuge
of justice and mercy. Many of the great and dreadful things which occurred in
our time will be forgotten. After centuries, however, it will still be asked,
whether Switzerland proved true to its name as the free Switzerland in these
days, or renounced it. The question whether the Lest that we Swiss are capable
of and have, can be preserved throughout the present crisis, will be decided
only by opening our hearts and hands to these refugees, or by turning our
backs upon them.
The Humane reason. We see in these refugees the fate we have miraculously
been spared. It is quite true that we also are not too well off to-day. It is,
however, equally true that we are well enough off to be in a condition exactly
opposite to these unfortunate fellow-creatures: well-fed and even rich. Can
we bear this, without wanting to help them to the best of our ability?
Would it not be disgraceful, even to let our lips suggest any reasons at all
against offering such aid?" [479]
In December, 1942, 1,595 refugees were admitted and 330 sent back. At the end
of December, the number of immigrants and refugees amounted to 16,200. Of the
refugees, 8,467 had entered Switzerland illegally between August 1, 1942, and
Dec. 31, 1942.
This development led the Department of Police to propose to the Federal Council
that new decrees, more stringent than the preceding ones, be issued for the
whole of the Swiss border. Apparently the order of Sept. 26, 1942, that being
a Jew was no reason for admittance, mostly was not observed. [480] <217>
The decree of Dec. 29, 1942, ordered that foreigners arrested whilst crossing
the border or in the region of the border (up till 10 kilometres) must be
turned back immediately. Exemption would be granted to the categories a, b
and c mentioned in the decree of Sept. 26, 1942. [481]
"Further, parents with children not over six years old; or if at least one of
their children is not older than six; refugees who can prove that they have
a spouse, parents or children in Switzerland; or when at least one of a
married couple has been born in Switzerland. [482]
The "Report of the Swiss Protestant Relief Society" comments:
"We are grateful that a Delegation of the Federation of Churches also
remonstrated with the Federal Government in the matter. No substantial
amendments to the decree were obtained, but in practice the attitude of
the authorities was more obliging than the wording of the decree leads
one to assume.
The possibilities of providing asylum, and the readiness of the authorities
to grant it, are in no small measure dependent on the willingness of the
Swiss people to make sacrifices for the refugees.
We therefore emphatically insisted that the congregations of the Evangelical
Church should take upon themselves the financial responsibility for the
upkeep of as many refugees as possible, and so to fulfil towards individual
refugees Christ's commandment of love. [483]
In the first seven months of 1943, 1,821 refugees were sent back and 4,733
admitted. "Its is impossible to determine, how many Jews were among those
admitted; apparently they made up the vast majority." [484]
On May 9, 1943, the Synod of the Evangelical-Reformed Church of the City
of Basel adopted the following Resolution:
"The Synod, deeply concerned by the information received regarding instruction
given by the authorities to the border guards and the dreadful horrors still
being undergone by refugees wanting to cross our borders, charges the Church
council to urge the Executive Committee of the Federation of Churches to
remonstrate afresh with the responsible authorities on behalf of the refugees
according to the Church's responsibility to be a Protector, and desires that
the congregation, through the 'Church Messenger', be kept suitably informed
of the Synod's negotiations concerning the refugee and asylum problem. [485]
<218>
In October, 1943, the Church Council of Zurich addressed the following message
"To the Reformed People of Zurich":
"... We are able only through rumours to gain a vague impression of the
dreadful reality. And because it is beyond the powers of our imagination,
we are in danger of closing our hearts and trying to suppress any awareness
of the fact that daily, hourly, indeed every single moment, thousands
suffer, bleed, starve, despair, die.
We also let ourselves be misled by a falsely understood neutrality, which
freezes our feelings towards the distress of foreigners, or causes in us a
moral apathy towards injustice and inhumanity, sometimes even making us
adopt the catchwords and evil slogans of anti-Semitism and racial hatred,
and persuading us to accept ideals which are hostile to the Gospel of love
to God and to ones neighbour...
All humane people are haunted by descriptions of the sufferings to which
members of the Jewish people have been exposed during these past four years
of war, this following centuries of being slandered, ridiculed, beaten and
persecuted throughout the Christian era!
Expelled from home and work, forcibly separated, children tom from the arms
of their mothers, mothers from the arms of their children, anew they are
uprooted just when they had supposed they had found a protecting refuge.
They have been tossed towards an uncertain destiny, which all too often
only spelled destruction, misery, starvation, beatings, despair and death.
Indeed, no other nation has been so overwhelmed by storms of persecution
and deluged by sufferings, as has been the people of Israel.
Who as a Christian, or as a Swiss, can fail to be oppressed by the distress
of the Jewish people, or to be confronted by questions unsolvable by the
words guilt and atonement, because we have certainly sufficient cause to
ask questions about our own guilt in this matter and to apply to ourselves
Christ's word: 'Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.'
Such an admission can result only in one thing: the emergence of a deep
sympathy and a desire to help wherever and however we can, to grant refuge
to the homeless, to shelter the exposed, to feed the hungry, to clothe the
naked, to visit the imprisoned, to support the weak, to comfort the mourning;
in accordance with the example of the good Samaritan and the teaching and
promise of our Master: 'In as much as ye have done it unto one of the
least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me'..." [486]
In November, 1943, the "Social Study Committee of the Swiss Union of Reformed
Pastors" published the following Statement:
<219>
"... With shame and sorrow we see this purposeful turning away from Christ in a
monstrous effort to exterminate entire races and peoples.
The Christian conscience cries out against this. We therefore appeal to all
those in responsible positions in the world, to save what still may be saved.
We demand that the Swiss Government which maintains diplomatic relations
with all governments in the world, devise with them and with the International
Red Cross, a plan of rescue.
In the name of Jesus we demand that our authorities put a stop to the driving
back of refugees to their death, until final measures are taken, and to grant
them a safe, Christian asylum. Our thanks go to the people of Switzerland
for their cordial hospitality, even though it is hampered by authority!..." [487]
In my opinion this is the sharpest protest against the official refugee policy
of the Swiss government that was ever published during the second world war.
At the end of 1943, it was ordered not to send Jewish refugees back if they
objected. Thus Jews who fled Italy after its occupation by the Germans,
were to be admitted; however, in the case of a real 'run' one might have
to stop admitting them for some time. [488]
It is, in my opinion, undeniable that the protests of the Churches and Church"
leaders contributed to alleviating the measures against the refugees and their
ultimate cancellation in practice. In the meantime, unspeakable sufferings
had been inflicted on refugees who had been sent back and fell into the hands
of their mortal enemies.
d. Aid to Refugees
We already mentioned some of the activities of the "Swiss Protestant Relief
Society for the Confessing Church in Germany", [489] for instance the Annual
Conference held on November 17, 1941, and its participation in the general
collection for Aid to Refugees, held during October-November, 1942. In order
to show the spirit in which this refugee work was done, we record the
following letter which was sent by the Executive Council of the Society to
the Swiss-Israelite Union of Congregations, on June 22, 1943: <220>
"You have ordered a call to an Assembly of Mourning, for next Sunday,
27th June, 1943. You will then recall the horrible decrees to which Jews
in Europe are subjected, and the unspeakable hardship and oppression under
which people nowadays suffer and die.
Together with you we are deeply shocked at the mass murder that has engulfed
European Jewry. Only with dread and horror can one read of the number
deported from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Rumania and Greece.
We fight against allowing suffering to become a familiar routine, and against
blunting of concern on the part of our people of Switzerland at such distress.
To us these dry figures represent human beings, who have lived, suffered
and died. Their mass graves and their ashes will, till the coming Day of the
Lord, be a shocking accusation against a Europe which forgot God.
As Christians we cannot let the Assembly of Mourning of the Swiss-Israelite
Union of Congregations pass without a cordial word of sympathy and
participation. Deeply moved, we shall join our thoughts with yours in
intercession.
We know that each murder and every act of violence is rooted in the godless
thinking of godless minds. The unkind word and the unappreciative gesture
are signs of poisoning of the minds.
The fact that this poisoning could assume such terrible proportions in
'Christian' Europe, where especially the Jewish people are victimised,
shames us and gives us cause for severe self-accusation. So little have we
Christians understood Jesus Christ and so far apart from him have we lived,
that godless thinking was able to create this insane racial hatred and
merciless cruelty in our midst, raging as a demon against the Jews.
On your day of mourning we join hands with you in sympathy and sorrow. At
the same time we confess our guilt before God and mankind. We regret every
word of contempt, we Christians ever uttered against Jews.
We regret that we have shamed Jesus Christ by our self-righteousness and our
hardness of heart. We regret that we Christians were not more loyal to our
Master and thus failed courageously to struggle, in time, against every
expression of anti-Semitism.
On this day of your mourning we implore the Almighty for his mercy, for
the sake of Jesus Christ, with the publican's prayer of penitence: 'God be
merciful to us sinners'.
On your day of mourning we pray that God's mercy may be upon you, and the
deep consolation of His promise from the precious Old Testament, which also
has comforted us again and again:
'And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to
return, and will build them, as at first. And I will cleanse them from all
their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me. And it shall be to me
a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth,
which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and
tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity hat I procure to it'
(Jeremiah 33, 7-9). <221>
'The Lord thath sent me to bring good tidings, to heal the broken-hearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn' (Isaiah 61, 1-2).
'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil;
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me' (Psalm 23, 4).
'For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness
shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee' (Isaiah 54, 10)." [490]
Strong powers in Switzerland objected to the admission of refugees. Therefore
the "Protestant Relief Society" undertook action in two different but
interdependent fields: influencing public opinion, and rendering practical
aid.
Books and pamphlets were published and distributed. [491] Rev. Paul Vogt was
appointed 'Refugee pastor', and was later joined by two other ministers.
They launched the "Place of Refuge Operation", [492] asking members of the
Church to provide places in their homes to Jewish refugees who were unable
to work: pregnant women, mothers with little children; people ill, invalided
or old. Another way to help for the local churches was to pay the maintenance
(120 Franc per month) of a refugee being cared for in one of the houses of
the homes of the Society. [493]
"Help was not just rendered to Protestant refugees; the majority of them were
Jewish... We are convinced that we may not exploit the difficult situation
of our proteges by trying to convert them. Rather, we respect the religious
conviction of the Jews, whose care has been entrusted to us. <222>
Therefore two Refugee homes were opened for observant Jews;... one
accommodating 35 refugees, the other 26. Plans for a third refugee home were
prepared. In order to reunite married couples and families, houses were
rented in which a total of 111 persons were accommodated. Up till the end
of 1943, 348 persons were helped and places for another 219 persons were in
preparation." [494]
On October 1, 1944, 868 refugees who were unable to work were accommodated
by the Protestant 'Place of Refuge Operation'. 739 of them were Jewish, 115
Protestant, 8 Catholic (mixed marriage) and 6 without religion. One hundred
and seventy-nine places, especially for children, were reported to the
Committee for Aid to Children. [495]
Far be it for us to belittle the efforts of Rev. Paul Vogt and others, who
did what they could. Yet the number of refugees who were helped is small in
relation to the terrible need that existed. Moreover, in Switzerland, people
did not risk their lives or freedom by taking in a Jewish refugee, as
happened in many other countries.
e. The Deportation of the Hungarian Jews
On July 4, 1944, the following circular letter was sent by Prof. Karl Barth,
Prof. Emil Brunner, Dr. W.A. Visser 't Hooft and Rev. Paul Vogt to pastors
in Switzerland:
"We send to you, enclosed, two messages from Hungary and a covering letter
dated June 19, 1944, which came from reliable sources and reached Switzerland
through diplomatic channels. The messages have shocked us deeply. Out of a
sense of responsibility we feel it our duty to convey these messages to you.
We do not doubt that you will read them and let them circulate within your
own group. They are also known to the competent authorities." [496]
There followed a wave of public protests. We quote some of them. [497] <223>
On July 9, 1946, the Church Council of the Canton Zurich urged that the
following message be read from every pulpit:
"The present day truly has revealed enough frightful things, but in the
last weeks one piece of news has reached us which far exceeds anything that
we have heard for years. Reliable witnesses inform us of terrible persecution
of the Jews in Hungary. In a few weeks between three and four hundred
thousand people have been sacrificed, and who knows how many more there
will be.
Many are dying of exhaustion or hunger, but the majority meet their death
by gas. In one single place, at Birkenau, four crematoria are in use, in
which every day six thousand people can be gassed and burned and incinerated.
Hitherto Hungary had more than a million Jews. A number of towns already
have been cleared of Jews. Persecution is said to be impending in the
capital, if it has not already begun. We do not know what can have induced
the government to take these dreadful measures and at whose door the
responsibility for this dreadful deed must lie.
What can we do? It is not for us to pass self-righteous judgment on the
acts of other peoples, for we are not guilt-free. It does not lie in our
power to order the cessation of atrocities. The Swiss Protestant Church
Federation addressed an urgent request to the Federal Council and to the
International Red Cross that they would do everything possible to rescue
the Jews still living in Hungary.
We invite congregations to make solemn intercession for all those who must
tread this dark road simply because they belong to another race. Let us
also pray for our sister-Evangelical Church in Hungary, that strength and
guidance be granted to her at a time when her people is taking upon itself
such a terrible load of guilt.
Let the word of the Psalmist be our prayer: 'Keep not Thou silence, O God:
hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God'." [498]
The Council of the Evangelical Church of Canton Glarus, on July 12, issued
a circular letter to all local ministers, drawing attention to the horrible
reports of the extermination of Hungarian Jewry and stressing that, in all
probability, reality would prove even more horrible than those reports implied.
After having mentioned the appeals made by the Federation of Churches to the
Federal Council and the International Red Cross, the circular letter continued:
<224>
"We fully realise that at present we are incapable of stopping the demonic
powers by any human means. Only God can do that, and we invoke His aid.
We request you to inform your congregation of these horrors in a fitting
manner, and in your prayers to intercede with God on behalf of those that
are threatened. Finally, the Church Council hereby issues a call to leave
all vengeance and retaliation to Him who has proclaimed: 'Vengeance is mine,
saith the Lord'." [499]
At about the same time, the following Proclamation was issued by the Council
of the Synod of Bern:
"Added to the untold miseries that the Jews have had already to suffer in
various countries, the terrible mass murders of the Jews in Hungary which,
according to reliable information were carried out recently, surpass all
imagination and defy any description.
The inhuman removal of people of all ages who, solely on account of their
racial origin, no longer are considered fit to exist, is a monstrosity
unparalleled in history, as well as a grievous sin and guilt before God.
As Christians who have received light and life, salvation and mercy from
Jesus Christ, we feel a painful indignation in the face of such methods
of extermination. We declare that such destruction of our fellow-men was
conceived by a spirit and will which came from below, and which will bring
a curse and doom on humanity. A deep sympathy unites us with the countless
victims. We thank our brethren of the faith in Hungary for their courage
in standing up, in time, against these monstrosities in spite of great
difficulties, and we urge them to continue to do everything in their
power to stop these horrible mass murders.
We call on Christians in our own country to fight all hatred and thirst
for revenge among people of different origin and race, and to resist all
prejudices and offensive slogans wherever they may appear. Let us not tire of
intercession on behalf of the ancient people of the Covenant, of Israel." [500]
In August, 1944, the following circular letter was published by the Church
Council of Canton Graubunden:
"Ecclesiastical and other proclamations and directives draw our attention to
the fate of Hungarian Jewry. No pen is able to describe, no soul can sense,
and no Christian mind can imagine what is being done to these unfortunate
people. The human mind is powerless to grasp the horrors, day by day enacted
with cool determination and limitless hate.
Shocked cries, objections and protests, to those in authority have remained
ineffective. Brotherly help to those threatened by death is not possible. <225>
Only one thing remains to the Christian, of which he cannot be deprived:
prayer.
Dear brethren, prepare the people, before offering your public prayers,
by referring to the sufferings of the Jewish people of whom the Son of God
was born.
Tell openly from the pulpits how many hundreds of thousands are being
exterminated in gas chambers and crematoriums, while further multitudes
tremble in desperation, because the hour is at hand when they too will be
herded like cattle, deported and slaughtered.
Tell how human dignity is degraded, how man's rights are trampled upon, so
that all Christian feelings have received a deadly wound. Remember in your
prayers at church the unfortunate who are persecuted, urging all members of
your congregations likewise to remember them in their prayers at home in
solitude.
The prayer of the merciful heart availeth much. Through it God's presence may
become real in distant gas chambers; consolation and indestructible faith may
shine in their horror-stricken eyes and upon their deadly-pale faces.
Such prayer may also have the power to reawaken petrified consciences, and to
paralyse the hands engaged in deadly tasks.
The prayer should be said in repentance over unbrotherly words also spoken in
our country about Jews now and in the past..." [501]
32 SWEDEN
The political situation of Sweden was comparable to that of Switzerland:
each country tried to preserve its neutrality, was afraid of a German
attack, and sometimes gave in to German demands. Yet Sweden expressed its
willingness to receive all the Jews from Denmark, whilst Switzerland closed
its borders. We should, however, bear in mind that to Switzerland, owing
to its geographical position, the challenge of the refugee problem was
much greater than to Sweden.
The Swedish Church denounced the persecution of the Jews more sharply than
did the Swiss Churches. Apparently Swedish Church leaders were not afraid
of offending Germany. But in Sweden there was no press censorship, as was
the case in Switzerland.
On November 29, 1942, Manfred Bjorkquist was consecrated first Bishop of
Stockholm. Along with the Bishops of the Swedish Church, there were also
present representatives of the Church of Denmark and the Church of Finland.
The Quisling Minister for Church Affairs in Norway sent an indignant letter
to Archbishop Eidem, because he had not been invited to send a representative
to the consecration. Dagens Nyheter, commenting on this report, wrote: <226>
"What happened in Norway recently is sufficient explanation, if it is
confirmed that Sweden's Archbishop did not reply to the letter. Archbishop
Eidem's warning at Lutzen on November 6th against national self-sufficiency
and arrogance provides an adequate answer.
When now for the first time we see these things happening near at hand we
are aghast at this self-sufficiency and arrogance; this complete contempt
for human values." [502]
The last sentence refers to the deportation of the Jews of Norway.
On the first Sunday in Advent, 1942, the following Proclamation was issued
by the Swedish Bishops:
"Hatred blinds and hardens. Hatred leads to destruction. Hatred is the most
frightful and monstrous of the dark powers which now are dominating an
unhappy earth.
Jesus Christ condemns hatred in all its forms without exception. His words
and deeds, His life and death, all mean an absolute judgment upon hatred.
Whatever stands in contradiction with the royal command of love, which is
the sum of the will of God, is sin, sin against the living God.
Men may trample upon the commandments of the All-Highest. But God Almighty
lives. And whoever turns away from Him has deserted the springs of life and
is walking in the way of death.
If we really want to be Christians, we must in all seriousness take up the
fight against hatred, against all hatred.
We must be strictest towards ourselves, so that we may not leave the
smallest room in our heart for the evil spirit of hatred. So far as our
voice reaches, we must, each in his own circle, stand up for love in word
and deed, and fight hatred and the deeds of hatred.
With horror and dismay we have learned in the last two days how an un-Christian
racial hatred, which has spread over many lands in the world like a mortal
pestilence, has now expressed itself in shocking acts of violence in our
immediate neighbourhood, on our Scandinavian peninsula.
Human beings are being subjected to the greatest sufferings, not because they
have been legally convicted of misdeeds - they have not even been accused of
such things by regular legal procedure - but solely because they belong by
descent to a certain race. <227>
We have been deeply moved to hear the courageous Christian admonitions
which our oppressed Norwegian sister-Church has directed to those in power
in their country, not to rebel against the clear Word of God by doing deeds
of violence in blind racial hatred.
Everything that lies in our power to assist the poor people affected by
this hatred is being done. That is our elementary duty as Christians and as
human beings. But even if we cannot do much to help the unfortunate, we can
and must bear them and their needs upon our hearts.
We Bishops of the Swedish Church call all our fellow-Christians in Sweden,
in the Name of God, to include these our tortured brethren of the race of
Israel in our faithful and constant intercessions, and to make daily prayers
to our Father in Heaven for the many who are suffering violence and disaster
at this time." [503]
At a service of intercession in Goteborg Cathedral on the first Sunday in
Advent, Dean Nysted said:
"Everything we have heard of the nameless sufferings of the Jewish people
in past times dwindles to nothing in comparison with the fate that has
overtaken them in recent years. We have read with disgust of the slave hunts
of former times and the cargoes of slaves which were carried like cattle to
America.
Who could have dreamt anything so frightful as that such a ship would sail
along our coasts last week, laden with men, women and children, who have no
other fate to expect than that of the slaves or cattle for slaughter, and
that not because of any crime of which they have been convicted but because
they are of Jewish descent.
The Church of Sweden must not keep silent when such a thing happens at our
frontiers. If we were to keep silent, the stones would cry out. We are
shocked to the depths of our hearts when we think of the sufferings of these
unhappy people. We tremble at the dragon's teeth of hatred which are
senselessly being sown...
What harvest must grow from such seed? We stand powerless. What is being
prepared for the Jews who have remained in Norway? Can our authorities do
anything to save them? We implore them to consider this question seriously
and without delay." [504]
In a broadcast sermon, Bishop Aukn of Strangnas commented upon the events
of the time:
"Violence is triumphing, and the commandments which form the bases of our
human common life are remorselessly being trampled upon. Every day brings
new pictures of horror. Recently we received the news that the frightful
plague of racial persecution has descended upon our Scandinavia... There
are probably no limits to the depths to which people who are blinded by
hatred may sink. <228>
But at the same time a wonderful thing is happening: in the midst of this
darkness we are witnessing a bold and firm steadfastness which remains
unmoved even when it leads to persecution and martyrdom.
Such events have opened the eyes of many people who were subject to the
prejudice that we have only to reckon with material factors and the resources
of outward force. They bear witness to the power of the Holy Spirit,
to the power of Christ, which works in secret and is unconquerable.
If we in our Swedish Church are able to begin the new Church year as a free
Church in a free country, that lays upon us a great responsibility: to stand
up in unshakable faithfulness for the holiness of the laws of God,
when the most elementary demands of justice are trampled upon." [505]
At a Meeting of Protest, held in Stockholm on the same Sunday, Dr. Natanael
Beskow said:
"Here we are not concerned with neutrality or politics, but with humanity
or inhumanity. Nothing of that kind must ever happen in Sweden. Indifference
in face of a crime is in itself a crime."
The meeting passed the following Resolution:
"In the name of Christianity and democracy, humanity and justice, we protest
against the mass deportations of Jewish citizens from our nearest neighbour
country, not for crimes committed but because of their race.
We do this for the sake or our Northern community, but we are angry and
distressed that Northern men have been able to commit this deed of shame.
We protest in the name of international law, for without security in law
all human order collapses, whether it be called old or new." [506]
Svenska Morgonbladet reported that it had received expressions of sorrow
and sympathy from the leaders of various Church congregations.
Bishop John Cullberg said at Strangnas:
"After what happened earlier in Norway, the latest telegrams about the
persecution of Jews are not surprising. But we are profoundly shocked.
The Norwegian Church has, through its statements, already interpreted the
Christian conscience's protest against these atrocities. It must be loudly
proclaimed that we in Sweden support this protest. <229>
With bleeding hearts, we think of the martyrs. And what should we say of
their tormentors? All we can say is: 'Father, forgive them, for they know
not what they do'." [507]
Although leading men within the Swedish Free Churches already at an early
stage had separately expressed their feelings in the press regarding the
persecution of the Jews in Norway, the Free Churches' Co-operation Committee
wished to emphasize their mutual standpoint:
"God is the Father of all, and all men are called to receive the advantage
of the adoption of sons, independent of race and birth. Racial persecution
is thus a sin and a rebellion against God. The Jew is our neighbour, and we
wish to love him as ourselves.
Facing what is happening in Norway, we feel grief and distress. We are
onlookers at a situation where our neighbour is being treated as something
sub-human. We cannot remain silent witnesses to this We wish that our deeds
could bring help, to undo what has been done. Our hope is that God will turn
evil to good.
We wish to join in the appeal of the Bishops of the Swedish Church, in the
name of God, for intercessions for our tortured brethren of the race of
Israel, and to make daily prayers to our Father in Heaven for the many who
are suffering violence and disaster at this time." [508]
Under the subject heading "Christian Gathering", a meeting was held on
December 6, 1942 at Hedvig's Church at Norrkoping. This meeting was arranged
by clergymen. Speakers were Vicar Thysell, Pastor Einitz Genitz and Vicar
Knut Ericson. We quote the following from Vicar Thysell's address:
"The information concerning 1,000 Jews driven from their homes, robbed of
their property and transferred to Germany to meet a most cruel fate, has
shaken us thoroughly and deeply. Those Jews were loyal Norwegian citizens:
they had done nothing wrong. They were punished because they were Jews,
without trial or verdict. <230>
The people of Norway were the first to speak up and protest through their
Church. The brave and strong words from Norwegian Church leaders, themselves
oppressed and persecuted, have moved us profoundly. Now we, too, must speak.
There are occasions when it would be denying truth to remain silent.
We bear a special responsibility towards God and humanity when such things
are happening around US. We Swedes are best able to represent the world's
conscience in this case, and we feel that we also owe our Norwegian brethren
a clear and unequivocal declaration on our stand.
We also have another responsibility in this case, one that lies even nearer
to us: our responsibility towards the Jewish brethren, who belong to our
own people. The contamination of anti-Semitism has also reached our own
country. Infamous and false propaganda is being spread from plague centres
within our own borders. We have hitherto belittled this danger. Now we see
to where it is leading. It is time for us to wake up!
We must also at this hour think of the mass persecution of Jews which is
taking place in other countries. From available information it appears that
the anti-Semitic wave is still rising. The threat now also concerns half-Jews.
Our taking a stand might seem meaningless to all of these. We cannot stop
violence. It may, however, in a secret way, bring a ray of consolation and
hope into despairing hearts.
We have named our meeting 'Christian Gathering'. That our consciences react
to the outrage which is happening, is the result of the spiritual values of
life which we have received from Christ and the Prophets of Israel - from
the very people who are now being persecuted in so many countries. On those
basic values rests our Nordic judicial culture.
We pride ourselves on Sweden being a constitutional state. Here no one can be
sentenced and punished except on the basis of justice. Here, right is not
equal to might. Above the power of the state stand those eternal truths of
our relation to God and each other, which have been revealed to us and which,
in our consciences, appear as indefeasible values of life.
Arnulf Overland says: 'Some things are greater than you. There are mountains
with snow. There are dearer things than your life; you shall fight for it'.
The dearest thing we have are those values of life that Christ gives us. The
persecution of the Jews is not the only proof - but the most horrible of all -
of a denial of these values of life.
We are here to-day to confess our belief in these eternal foundations for
human society, which God himself has laid.
We believe in God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and our Father, who has called us
all, independent of race and all other differences, to receive the adoption
of sons and to live in communion with Him and each other. We wish to adhere
to this Christian evaluation of man. And we reject as hostile to God and
anti-Christian that brutal conception of man, and that contempt of mankind,
which forge the acts of violence in anti-Semitism.
We regard the brotherhood of humanity as holy, and brotherly action as our
goal. We feel it our obligation to act towards our Jewish brethren in
accordance with Jesus' rule of life: 'All things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them'. <231>
Do we seriously mean them to be our confession of faith? Do we dare uphold
it, as our Norwegian brethren have done, even if our faith should be tried
as gold is tried in fire?
Whatever happens, we need not fear, if we follow Jesus Christ, the eternal
King. The weapons of iniquity are doomed annihilation. Christ stands on the
side of the persecuted. His spirit, the Spirit of Truth, Righteousness and
Love, is strongest of all. The day of freedom shall again dawn for the
persecuted and oppressed." [509]
It is remarkable that earlier deportations of Jews in countries such as
Germany, France and the Netherlands, did not prompt the Swedish Church
leaders to raise their voices, though the number of deportees was much
greater than that of the Jews deported from Norway.
It seems likely that what was happening in Western Europe was less known
in Sweden than what was happening in Norway. Moreover, human beings
generally are more moved by cruelties committed on their doorstep, than
by what happens further away. The Proclamation of the Swedish Bishops
expressed "horror and dismay" because "an un-Christian racial hatred...
has now expressed itself... in our immediate neighbourhood, on our own
Scandinavian peninsula".
As far as we know, the Swedish Church did not issue a Protest against the
persecution of the Danish Jews. In fact, events in Denmark took place so
rapidly that a Protest would hardly have done any good.
The pressure of the Swedish Archbishop (and others) on the Swedish
Government to make public their willingness to receive all Danish Jews,
was important. It appears that this step, indirectly, saved many lives.
Dr. Leni Yahil relates the following:
"The Swedish Foreign Office contacted Richert, the Swedish envoy in Berlin,
on the same day, September 29 [1943], and again on the next day, September
30, in order to plan with him the appeal to the German Foreign Office. It
was decided that Richert would ask the Germans whether there was a basis to
the rumours about an impending deportation of the Jews from Denmark, and
that he would stress the fact that such a deportation would cause great
indignation in Sweden. Moreover, he was to propose that all Danish Jews be
transferred to Sweden and concentrated there in a camp and that the Swedish
Government would be responsible that 'they would not be able to undertake
any activity that might be harmful to Germany'. <232>
It became evident that the Swedes did not intend to take any further action.
[Niels] Bohr, Ebbe Munk and their friends, however, were of a different
opinion. As we know from entries in Ebbe Munk's diary and from his letters
to Christmas Moeller in London, it was the Danish group with the active
support of prominent Swedish circles which brought about the publication
by the Swedish Government of the appeal to the Germans.
On October 2, the day following on the night of the persecution in Denmark,
Bohr had an interview with the Foreign Secretary, Guenther. It seems that
already on the preceding day the Danes had tried to persuade the Swedes
to publish their appeal to the Germans in the hope that such a publication
might prevent the deportation. Since this had not been done, Bohr requested
the Swedish Foreign Secretary to repeat his appeal to the Germans and to
propose to them that the boats on which the Jews were concentrated, be
directed to Sweden instead of to Germany. Guenther proposed this to the
German Ambassador Thomsen, who called on him at 9 o'clock in the evening
on that day. A reply to this proposal was never received.
Through Kammerherr von Kruse, the Danish Ambassador in Stockholm, and with
the active support of Prof. Stefan Hurvitz, an audience with the King of
Sweden was arranged for Bohr, in the afternoon of the same day. During this
audience Bohr proposed to the King that the Swedish appeal to Germany be
published. The King did not reply, but at the end of the audience the Foreign
Secretary was called in. That same evening the Swedish radio broadcasted an
announcement about the steps taken by Sweden in Berlin. The announcement
stressed that the Swedish Ambassador, on behalf of his Government, had
declared that Sweden was willing to receive all the Danish Jews. We know
that this announcement encouraged the Jews as well as their Danish helpers
to organize the mass escape.
In his letter to Christmas Moeller, dated October 12, Munk told that the
Swedish Government only agreed to publish the announcement, after the Arch-
bishop, professors and other prominent persons had declared that they were
prepared to sign an open letter to the Government about the subject." [510]
The King of Sweden was present when, in May, 1944, Archbishop Eidem delivered
his opening address to the General Assembly, to which 2,600 parish-delegates
and guests from all over the country had come. Archbishop Eidem said:
"... Our Christian conscience must keep constantly on the alert in the face
of all that is happening in the world around us. Might is not right. Power
is not justice. Torture is not permissible in any circumstances. Innocent
people must not be made in any way responsible or punished for the acts
of others. Houses and entire communities must not be purposely destroyed
in order to intimidate or cripple an enemy. <233>
People of a particular racial and national group, such as the unhappy people
of the Jews, must not be persecuted and martyred because of their membership
in that race or national group. All such actions are not only barbarism but
sin...
It is indeed no wonder that a frightful harvest of hatred and vengefulness
is growing from the sowing of such seeds on our poor earth. As Christians
we are called to take up the fight against hatred in every shape and form
in this world, which now seems to be a free field for unleashed evil forces;
and we must conduct this fight first of all in our own hearts, but each
man also in the place where he lives. And we must not grow tired or weary
in this fight." [511]
It would be interesting to know how far the King was influenced by this stand
of his Archbishop when, shortly afterwards, he appealed to Regent Horthy on
behalf of the Hungarian Jews.
It is my impression that the Church of Sweden also undertook steps on behalf
of the Jews about which we know nothing, and perhaps never shall. Concerning
two steps, we do know at least something. Firstly, the secretary of the
Church of Sweden's Committee for Foreign Affairs, Rev. Johansson,
communicated to me: "It is true that Archbishop Eidem paid a visit to
Hitler himself, but no details are officially known". [512]
Secondly, the German Ambassador in Slovakia, Ludin, informed the German
Foreign Office in a letter dated January 3, 1945, that the Archbishop of
Uppsala had addressed the Slovak Prime Minister (Tiso) with a plea for the
transfer of "the unfortunate Jewish brethren" to neutral territories. [513]
We have, however, not succeeded in retrieving a copy of Archbishop Eidem's
letter.
<234>
COUNTRIES AT WAR WITH GERMANY
33 GREAT BRITAIN
a. The First Period
Few voices were publicly raised in England during the years 1940 and 1941.
In 1940, the Battle of Britain apparently occupied the national attention
so much that people tended to forget everything else. If any statements
made by ecclesiastical leaders were issued in 1941 (except the statement
of the Church of Schotland, mentioned below), I have failed to find them.
The Beckley Social Service Lecture is delivered annually in connection
with the Methodist Conference in Great Britain.
Its purpose is to review certain major problems in the field of social
service from the point of Christian responsibility. In the year 1940 the
Rev. W. W. Simpson, now secretary of the Council of Christians and Jews,
was invited to deal with the refugee problem and the fight against
anti-Semitism. His lecture was published in book-form. [514]
In May 1940, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland issued the
following statement:
"The General Assembly deplore the continued persecution of Jewish
minorities in Central Europe, and deeply regret that the situation has
worsened in Hungary.
The General Assembly warmly appreciate the vigorous protest against the
new anti-Jewish legislation made by the Hungarian Reformed Church, and
assure the Committee and the missionaries themselves of their sympathy
with all endeavours to minister relief and comfort and hope to suffering
Jews, so far as it may be in their power to do so." [515] <235>
I regret that I have not succeeded in finding any confirmation of the
"vigorous protests" made by the Hungarian Reformed Church. In May 1941,
the Assembly anew expressed:
"their deep sympathy with the Jewish people in their tragic sorrow, and,
realising the gravity and intricacy of the problem, approve the settling
up of a Sub-Committee to survey the whole situation, and they resolve to
appoint six members ad hoc to assist in this survey." [516]
This expression of sympathy was repeated in May, 1942, whilst the General
Assembly also warned "their faithful people against the growing menace of
anti-Semitism." [517]
We record the statements issued by the Presbyterian Church of Ireland
during the second world war in this chapter, as most of the members of
this Church live in the Northern part of Ireland which is under the
sovereignty of Great Britain.
In June, 1942, the Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland issued
the following "Resolution anent the Jewish People":
"That the following resolution, adopted at a recent conference in connection
with the Presbyterian Alliance, be given the warm approval of the General
Assembly: 'That this Conference of representatives of the Presbyterian
Churches of Great Britain and Ireland, held at Edinburgh on the 28th day
of January, 1942, having considered the position of the Jews in the problem
of post-war reconstruction, deplores any denial to persons of Jewish descent
of the right of equal treatment before the law and of other rights due to
their status as ordinary citizens, and urges that all Governments shall take
immediate steps to restore to the full status of human dignity such Jewish
people as have been deprived of it, and, in particular, that all legislation
unjustly diminishing the rights of Jews, as such, shall be repealed at an
early date;
recognising also that liberty of conscience is an essential part of civil
liberty, and that a free exchange of religious convictions is a necessary
condition of all understanding between races and nations, the Conference
urges on all Governments the recognition of the unfettered right of every
individual to free choice in religious faith and to the public
profession and preaching of it so long as these rights do not run counter
to public law and order.
The Conference urges His Majesty's Government, in conjunction with other
allied and friendly nations, to provide for some scheme of emigration for
Jews who cannot find a home in Europe." [518] <236>
b. Mass Massacres. The Fate of the Refugees
On June 26, 1942, Reports of the massacre of Jews in Poland were broadcast
by the B.B.C. The Chief Rabbi, Dr. Hertz, based a special Sunday evening
broadcast on the reports. On July 8, 1942, the Archbishop of Canterbury
inveighed, on the European service of the B.B.C., against "so terrible a
violation of human and Divine law." [519]
On October 15, 1942, the Bishop of Chichester spoke in the Upper House of
the Convocation of Canterbury:
"The torture and the ceaseless and systematic deportation of the Jews form
some of the darkest chapters in the tragic history even of that people, and
the latest report which has reached this country tells of the deportation,
in terrible circumstances, of thousands of Jewish refugees from Vichy France,
where they had thought they were safe from the oppressor, to Occupied France
and thence to Eastern Galicia, leaving behind them between five thousand
and eight thousand children of whom many are now orphans, while large numbers
do not know their parents or their own names, and all are waiting for the
charity of Britain, or America or Switzerland to give them sanctuary." [520]
Also in October, the Archbishop of Canterbury sent the following Message
to the Jewish Bulletin:
"The situation of the Jews is unique, and yet has lasted for many centuries.
They are a people conscious of close and real unity, and yet they have no
motherland. Other people have survived and maintained their identity when
there was no national State to which they could be loyal; but there was
always a homeland inhabited by the people who remembered their days of
independence and hoped for its restoration. For the Jews there has been
no such a homeland. Their eyes might turn to Palestine; but though there
were Jews among the population there, they did not form the bulk of it. The
Jews as a people have been homeless. They have lived among the other peoples
of the earth, and they have been loyal citizens of the nations which have
made them welcome. But if their hosts turn against them they have no remedy.
In earlier periods this has happened from time to time.
In our day it has happened on a scale without parallel. Their sufferings
are appalling and entirely undeserved. It should be our aim to assist them
in all ways in our power; for their need is desperate. <237>
But there is more in their claim than a plea for sympathy. One of the tests
of a people's civilisation is its capacity to treat well a defined minority.
To fail in this is to revert to the ethics of the wolf-pack; and to succeed
is the evidence of moral stability.
In the case of the Jews our task is the easier because the moral principles
which we profess are largely drawn from that sacred literature which we share
with them. We should be standing together in loyalty to those principles
against all who repudiate or ignore them. Anti-Semitism is evidence of a
barbarous outlook and a religious apostasy." [521]
In the same month, the Free Church Federal Council sent a letter to the
Chief Rabbi, Dr. Hertz, expressing "the deep feelings of indignation and
sympathy with which the Free Churches of this country regard the cruel
persecution from which the Jewish race is suffering through the tyranny
exercised by the Axis powers". The message continued:
"We assure you of our continued prayers to Almighty God that its sufferings
may speedily be brought to an end, and that all peoples may once again enjoy
freedom of worship, preaching and teaching according to conviction without
incurring civil disability or penalty in any form." [522]
On October 29, 1942, an audience of 10,000 assembled in the Albert Hall
to voice their protest against "the ruthless policy of extermination
decreed by the Nazis and their satellites against the Jewish population in
all territories under their sway". The Archbishop of Canterbury was in the
chair.
"Speaking about the deportations from France, the Archbishop mentioned the
fact that children from two years upwards are now also being deported. 'There
is something familiar about that,' he said, 'but when the earlier Nazis
massacred the Innocent of Bethlehem it was on those of two years and less
that destruction fell; and that in a smaller number.'...
The Archbishop concluded by saying that:
"he was grateful for this opportunity to share in the effort to express
our horror at what has been and is being done, our deep sympathy with the
sufferers, our claim that our own Government should do whatever is possible
for their relief, and our steadfast resolution to do all and bear all that
may be necessary to end this affliction." <238>
Dr. I. S. Whale, Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council, speaking in
the name of the Free Church, declared that anti-Semitism in all its forms
was "an outrage against that sanctity of law which is one of the most
precious gifts of ancient Israel to modern Christianity". Bishop Matthew
spoke on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church. The following resolution,
moved by the Archbishop of Canterbury, was unanimously adopted:
"This meeting, representative of British public opinion and of the United
Nations fighting in the cause of freedom, places on record its profound
indignation at the unparallel atrocities which have been and are being
committed daily by the German Government and its satellites against the
unarmed citizens of countries under the Nazi yoke.
It records its horror at the deliberate policy of extermination which the
Nazis have declared against the Jews wherever they are to be found, and
extends its profound sympathy to the families of the unhappy victims of a
systematic terror carried out by wholesale massacre, the murder of innocent
hostages, the inhuman separation of children from their parents and other
unspeakable cruelties and atrocities.
This meeting expresses its heartfelt admiration for the heroism and
gallantry of the fighting forces of the United Nations now leading us to
victory, and desires to convey its deep sense of gratitude to those people
in the occupied territories who, despite the terror, have done so much to
help and succour their Jewish fellow-victims." [523]
On November 10, 1942, the Archbishop of Canterbury, inaugurating a new
Parliamentary session, drew once more the attention to the extermination
of the Jews, that "horror which is going on almost at our door". Contrasting
"what is still our standard of living" with the ordeals of the afflicted,
"packed in cattle trucks... sixty in each...given little food" so that "on
one occasion they all died of starvation", he inquired "whether it is
thought possible that we may be able to do something to bring relief to
these sufferers". He mentioned as a shining example "the amazing generosity"
of the Swiss whose "frontier has been technically closed but actually open"
and suggested that Britain should give aid to the Swiss in support of
refugees who can make their way there. He also recommended the granting of
visas to those able to reach Britain: <239>
"I hope that we should not in such a case waste our time in considering
whether we have done as much or more than other nations for people who
are in this kind of distress; the only question which really matters is
whether we have done all we can...
Again I hope we shall not waste time by considering whether these people
fall into the categories drawn up to regulate such matters. Categories are
nothing but administrative headings, and can be altered, if we wish, to
include some who do not fall under them..." [524]
The Archbishop of Canterbury again urged the Government, in a letter to
"The Times" [525], to admit to Britain "any refugee who might succeed in
escaping".
c. Retribution for the Persecutors; Intercession for the Persecuted
At the beginning of December, 1942, the Archbishop of York delivered a
speech in the House of Lords. The Archbishop said:
"Men, women and children are being ruthlessly put to death by massacre,
poison, gas, electrocution, or being sent long journeys to unknown
destinations in bitterly cold weather without food or drink. Children
that die on the way are cast out from the open trucks to the side of the
railway. Such is Hitler's new order."
The Archbishop called upon the Government
"...to state solemnly that when the hour of deliverance comes, retribution
will be dealt out not only on the cold-blooded and cowardly brutes who order
these massacres, but also on the thousands of underlings who appear joyfully
to be carrying them out." [526]
The "Solemn Statement" requested by the Archbishop of York (and many others)
was published on December 17, 1942, simultaneously in London, Washington and
Moscow, with the assent and support of all the Allied Governments and of the
British Dominions. The text was as follows: <240>
"The attention of the Governments of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the United States of America,
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of the
Soviet Socialist Republics, and Yugoslavia, and of the French National
Committee, has been drawn to numerous reports from Europe that the German
authorities, not content with denying to persons of Jewish race in all the
territories over which their barbarous rule has been extended the most
elementary human rights, are now carrying into effect Hitler's oft repeated
intention to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe.
From all the occupied countries Jews are being transported, in conditions
of appalling horror and brutality, to Eastern Europe. In Poland, which has
been made the principal Nazi slaughterhouse, the ghettos established by the
German invaders are being systematically emptied of all Jews except a few
highly skilled workers required for war industries. None of those taken away
are ever heard of again. The able-bodied are slowly worked to death in
labour camps. The infirm are left to die of exposure and starvation or are
deliberately massacred in mass executions. The number of victims of these
bloody cruelties is reckoned in many hundreds of thousands of entirely
innocent men, women and children.
The above-mentioned Governments and the French National Committee condemn
in the strongest possible terms this bestial policy of cold-blooded
extermination. They declare that such events can only strengthen the resolve
of all freedom-loving peoples to overthrow the barbarous Hilarity tyranny.
They reaffirm their solemn resolution to ensure that those responsible for
these crimes shall not escape retribution, and to press on with the necessary
practical measures to this end." [527]
The Bishop of London, Dr. Fisher (later on to be the Archbishop of Canterbury)
voiced in the House of Lords "the whole hearted support for the statement
which is forthcoming from Christian circles". Referring to the appeal made
by the Archbishop of York, the Bishop said:
"It would be a satisfaction to the Archbishop and others if it were made
clear that retribution will be exacted not only from those who devised and
ordered these proceedings, but also in due degree of responsibility from
those who carried out joyfully and gladly the orders which were given to
them.
The deeds were so repugnant to the laws of God and to every human instinct
of decency that whoever took a share must receive due retribution for them.
He hoped that it would be made clear that we and all our Allies would offer
free asylum gladly to all who could escape."
The Bishop also urged that: <241>
"Neutral countries should be encouraged to grant sanctuary to refugees by a
guarantee that for every Jewish refugee from Nazi tyranny they would receive,
the United Nations would undertake to share in the cost of maintenance and
would make possible the resettlement after the war of refugees in a permanent
and abiding home." [528]
At the end of January, 1943, the Archbishops of Canterbury, York and Wales
issued, "in the name of the Bishops of the three provinces", a statement
in which they again stressed the two main points in the Bishop of London's
speech in the House of Lords in December, 1942, namely: support of the
Declaration made by the Allied Governments that "those responsible for
these crimes shall not escape retribution and the demand to provide a
sanctuary for the victims. The "Appeal to the Government" reads as follows:
"The Bishops of England and Wales have been profoundly stirred by the
declaration made in both Houses of Parliament on behalf of His Majesty's
Government on December 17th, 1942, describing the barbarous and inhuman
treatment to which the Jews are being subjected in German-occupied Europe.
They note that the number of victims of this policy of cold-blooded
extermination is already reckoned in hundreds of thousands of entirely
innocent men, women and children. They note further that the extermination
already carried out is part of the carrying into effect of Hitler's
oft-repeated intention to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe, which
means in effect the extermination of some six million persons in the
territories over which Hitler's rule has been extended.
The Bishops of England and Wales declare that the sufferings of these
millions of Jews and their condemnation, failing immediate rescue, to a
cruel and certain death, constitute an appeal to humanity which it is
impossible to resist. They believe that it is the duty of civilised nations,
whether neutral or Allied, to exert themselves to the utmost possible extent
to provide a sanctuary for these victims.
They therefore urge the Government of the United Kingdom to give a lead to
the world by declaring its readiness, in consultation with the Dominion
Governments, to co-operate with the Governments of the United and neutral
nations in finding an immediate refuge in territories within the British
Empire as well as elsewhere for all persons threatened with massacre who
can escape from Axis lands, or for those who have already escaped to
neighbouring neutral countries and can make room for other refugees to
take their place." [529] <242>
That not everyone agreed with the demand for retribution becomes evident
from a speech given by the Archbishop of York at a city meeting in Leeds,
on March 14, 1943. The Archbishop had been told that he was unchristian
in asking for retribution.
Objections were evidently made to the Archbishop's request that "refugees
from this horror can find a refuge wherever the British flag flies". Apparently
there was the feeling that there might be spies amongst the refugees; that the
territories under the British flag would be flooded by a mass immigration of
Jewish refugees, and that this would create insurmountable problems after the
war.
The Archbishop said the following:
"...The persecution of the Jews is, however, unique in its horror. It has
the characteristics which make it stand by itself in the long history of
cruelty and tyranny. It is a deliberate policy of extermination directed
against, not a nation, but a whole race.
Neither their nation, nor their profession, nor their character will save
Jews from this sweeping sentence. They are doomed without trial, without
crime, without the possibility of defence, simply because they belong to
the race from which the prophets came, and of which our Lord and His
disciples were members.
They are condemned to death to satisfy the blood lust of a cruel and wicked
megalomaniac who by fraud and violence now holds the greater part of Europe
in his grasp...
What can be done?
1. Let the German people know what is being done in their name.
2. Let the German people also be told solemnly and repeatedly that sure
retribution awaits not only the master criminals who have ordered these
horrors, but also their brutal underlings who are carrying them out,
often apparently with zest.
I have been told that I am un-Christian in asking for retribution. Have
those who thus criticise never read that the Christ said that rather than
a man should offend one of these little ones it were better that a millstone
should be hanged about his neck and he be cast into the sea.
I ask for this broadcasting of the Allies' determination to punish, in the
hope that it may stay the hands of at any rate some of the criminals. Fear
is sometimes effective when mercy makes no appeal.
3. We must make it plain that refugees from this horror can find a refuge
wherever the British flag flies. Every precaution will have to be taken
against spies. And the refuge will only be promised for the period of
the terror. Few will be able to reach our shores. But give them this
hope of refuge.
4. Support the Government in the efforts they are now making, with other
allied powers and the neutrals, to help the Jews now in danger and to
provide succour for their refugees. <243>
We must do all we can in the name of Christianity and humanity to save at
any rate a remnant from these foul murderers. Victory is the only sure road
to their deliverance. The war becomes increasingly a crusade not only to
preserve freedom and justice, but also to overthrow and shatter cruelty and
tyranny in their most savage and hateful forms." [530]
At the end of 1942, a statement was issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury
and the Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council, urging that special
intercessions be offered in all churches on the first Sunday of the New Year:
"We do not doubt that in all congregations prayer is throughout this time
being offered for the Jews of Germany and the occupied countries, who are
suffering so terrible an affliction and over whom the threat of extermination
is hanging.
It is a bitter grief that our nation can do so little to help, but short
of victory in the war there is no way in which we can ourselves effect
anything comparable with the need, and the massacre goes on day by day.
We should be united in constant prayer to Almighty God that this monstrous
evil may be checked and the Jews delivered from their tormentors; and as a
focus for such united prayer we urge that special intercessions be offered
in all churches on the first Sunday of the New Year." [531]
Seven "representative German Lutheran Pastors in England" commented, in a
letter published in "The Times", as follows:
"On the first Sunday of the New Year when the Gospel appointed to read in
all German Lutheran Churches is the story of the murder of the innocent
(St. Matthew 2, 16-18), we ministers of the German Lutheran Church in England
feel in duty bound to call our congregations to solemn prayer and
intercession for the Jewish people in their unparalleled sufferings.
It was the anti-Jewish legislation as applied to the ministry which brought
the Lutheran Church in Germany to its first witness against idolatry and
barbarism and caused it to become a 'Confessing Church'.
Some of us wish that the protest then made had been stronger, more general,
more frequent; but it is not for us who now live in safety to criticise
those who under fire have done their utmost not to bow to Baal.
While they are silenced by the terrors of persecution, we know that they
would want and expect us to speak on their behalf and in the name of all
who confess themselves Christians in Germany. <244>
In fellowship with them and in solidarity with the people of whom Christ
our Lord was born, in solemn protest and deep repentance we recall the
words of the Old Testament: 'Open thy mouth, judge righteously and plead
the cause of the poor and needy'. (Prov. 31, 8-9)." [532]
d. Practical Steps Demanded; the Bermuda Conference
Many times Church leaders in Great Britain demanded that their Government
should take practical steps for the rescue of the Jews of Europe. Some of
their statements on this subject have already been recorded in the preceding
paragraph.
In a letter to "The Times", the Bishop of Chichester recommended that Germany
should be officially requested to let Jews emigrate to neutral countries. [533]
In Parliament, an all-party committee of members of both houses was formed
to prod the Government into action. Its first meeting, on January 27, 1943,
was addressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. [534]
On February 4, 1943, at the annual meeting of the Council of Christians and
Jews, the Archbishop of Canterbury referred to "the deep concern felt by all
sections of the British public at the reports of mass extermination of Jews
and others at the hand of the Nazis". He outlined "the steps which he had
taken as one of the Joint Presidents of the Council, and in association with
the leaders of the other sections of the Christian community, in the hope
of securing some measure of relief to the victims of this persecution." [535]
On March 23, 1943, the Archbishop of Canterbury presented the following
Resolution to the House of Lords:
"To move to resolve, that, in view of the massacres and starvation of
Jews and others in enemy and enemy occupied countries, this House desires
to assure His Majesty's Government of its fullest support for immediate
measures, on the largest and most generous scale compatible with the
requirements of military operations and security, for providing help and
temporary asylum to persons in danger of massacre who are able to leave
enemy and enemy-occupied countries." <245>
The Archbishop said:
"...We are wisely advised not to limit our attention in this connection to
the sufferers of any one race, and we must remember that there are citizens
of many countries who are subject to just the same kind of monstrous
persecution, and even massacre. None the less, there has been a concentration
of this fury against the Jews, and it is inevitable that we should give
special attention to what is being carried through, and still further
plotted against them...
"We are told that the only real solution is rapid victory. No doubt it is
true that if we could win the war in the course of a few weeks we could
still deliver multitudes of those who are now doomed to death. But we dare
not look for such results, and we know that what we can do will be but
little in comparison with the need. My whole plea on behalf of those for
whom I am speaking is that whether what we can do be large or little it
should at least be all we can do."
The Archbishop then told of the deportation of Jews from Moravia, Germany,
Rumania, and Holland, and of the slaughter of Jews in Poland. He continued:
"I believe that part of our difficulty in arousing ourselves and our fellow-
countrymen to the degree of indignation that it would seem to merit is the
fact that the imagination recoils before it. It is impossible to hold such
things at all before the mind. But we are all agreed in this House on the
main purpose of this Motion, to offer our utmost support to the Government
in all they can do; but with all sympathy for members of His Majesty's
Government, I am sure they will forgive some of us who wonder whether quite
everything possible has really already been done."
The Archbishop recalled "the solemn statement of the United Nations made
public on December 17", and contrasted "the solemnity of the words then
used, and the reception accorded to them, with the very meagre action that
had actually followed".
"It is the delays in the whole matter while these horrors go on daily that
make some of us wonder whether it may not be possible to speed up a little.
One must admit that some of the arguments hitherto advanced as justifying
the comparative inaction seem quite disproportionate to the scale of the
evil confronting us.
As reasons for no further action, "the great part that has been taken by this
country and other countries in the relief of the refugees" was pointed out.
<246>
"That, of course, would be relevant if the people in the other lands were
suffering great discomfort or great privation, but when what you are
confronted with is wholesale massacre, it seemed to most of us not only
irrelevant but grotesquely irrelevant."
The Secretary of State for the Colonies had given a promise with regard to
the admission of Jews to Palestine, on February 3, but on February 24 no
attempt to move these persons had yet taken place. The Archbishop made a
plea that action should be taken as promptly as possible to carry out the
promises given by the Colonial Secretary. He also urged, "that we should
revive the scheme of visas for entry into this country".
"We want to suggest the granting of blocks of visas to the Consuls in Spain
and Portugal and perhaps in Turkey to be used at their discretion. We know
of course that the German Government will not give exit permits. What matters
is that we should open our doors irrespective of the question whether the
German door is open or shut, so that all who can may come...
It is of the greatest importance to give relief to those neutral countries
because there is at present a steady stream or perhaps more accurately a
steady trickle of refugees from France both into Spain and into Switzerland.
The numbers that those countries, already suffering a good deal in shortage
of food and with their standard of life so far below our own, will be able
to receive are of course limited.
If we can open the door at the other side and bring away from Spain and
Portugal and (if transport is available but probably it would not) from
Switzerland and also from Turkey those who are able to make their escape
there, we shall render it far more probable that the channels through which
that trickle percolates will not be blocked...
Then, once more, it is urged, that we should offer help to European neutrals,
to encourage them to admit new refugees, in the form of guarantees from the
United Nations to relieve them of a stipulated proportion of refugees after
the victory, or, if possible, sooner; that we should offer direct financial
aid...
There is one point I would raise more tentatively... It is that through some
neutral power an offer should directly be made to the German Government to
receive Jews in territories of the British Empire and, so far as they agree,
of the other Allied Nations on a scheme of so many each month.
Very likely it would be refused, and then Hitler's guilt would stand out
all the more evidently. If the offer were accepted there would of course be
difficulties enough, but it would be the business of the Germans to overcome
these so far as concerns the conveyance of the refugees to the ports, and
efforts could be made to secure help from Sweden and other neutral countries
for shipping from the ports...
Some of us have wondered how far the possibility has been considered of
receiving any considerable number, particularly of children, in Eire and
whether the Government of Eire have been consulted about this... <247>
"It is said that there is a danger of Anti-Semitic feeling in this country.
No doubt that feeling exists in some degree, and no doubt it could very
easily be fanned into flame, but I am quite sure it exists at present only
in comparatively small patches. It is very local when it exists at all, and
therefore it receives a degree of attention beyond what it deserves.
But if the Government were to decide that it was wise and practicable to
put in action any of the proposals that I have laid before your Lordships,
it would be very easy for the Government, by skilful use of the wireless,
to win the sympathy and confidence of the people for their proposals,
especially if a large number of those who were brought out were children
and were being delivered from almost certain death...
The whole matter is so big and other claims are so urgent that we want
further to make the proposition that there shall be appointed someone of
high standing for whom this should be a primary responsibility...
My chief protest is against procrastination of any kind. It was three months
ago that the solemn declaration of the United Nations was made and now we
are confronted with a proposal for an exploratory Conference at Ottawa. That
sounds as if it involves much more delay.
It took five weeks from December 17 for our Government to approach the United
States, and then six weeks for the Government of the United States to reply,
and when they did reply they suggested a meeting of representatives of the
Government for preliminary exploration. The Jews are being slaughtered at
the rate of tens of thousands a day on many days, but there is a proposal
for a preliminary exploration to be made with a view of referring the whole
matter after that to the Inter-Governmental Committee on Refugees. My Lords,
let us at least urge that when that Conference meets it should not meet for
exploration only but for decision.
We know that what we can do is small compared with the magnitude of the
problem, but we cannot rest so long as there is any sense among us that we
are not doing all that might be done.
We have discussed the matter on the footing that we are not responsible for
this great evil, that the burden lies on others, but it is always true that
the obligations of decent men are decided for them by contingencies which
they did not themselves create and very largely by action of wicked men.
The priest and the Levite in the parable [536] were not in the least
responsible for the traveller's wounds as he lay there by the roadside and
no doubt they had many other pressing things to attend to, but they stand
as the picture of those who are condemned for neglecting the opportunity
of showing responsibility. We at this moment have upon us a tremendous
responsibility. We stand at the bar of history, of humanity and of God.
I beg to move." [537] <248>
After the Archbishop of Canterbury had spoken, Lord Rochester spoke "as a
Methodist layman":
'...No one can preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and remain indifferent to
social institutions which contradict that teaching. Wherever the Churches
find practices which are contrary to Christian doctrine, whether they be
such diabolical and horrifying practices as these we are more especially
considering this afternoon, or others, it is no more than their bounden
duty to denounce them...
We are concerned with all persecuted minorities, but the Christian necessarily
feels an intimate responsibility in regard to the Jews, since Christ
'according to the flesh' came out of Israel. Almost every page of the New
Testament shows how close was the association between religious Judaism and
the first followers of Christ...
'I must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence
cometh.' [538]
And woe to us if we leave any stone unturned in seeking to aid and succour
those of our fellow human beings who are suffering this cruel Nazi stumbling-
block of offence. The Nazis have indeed debased themselves even unto hell,
but let us remember' the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,'
as we recall those words in the 57th chapter of Isaiah:
'Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling-block out
of the way of my people'. [539]
I support the Motion of the most reverend Primate, and I would urge the
redoubling of our efforts to succour 'one of the least of these', as we
recall the latter part of the 25th chapter of St. Matthew." [540]
It is remarkable that, contrary to what one might have expected, it was
the Archbishop who made the practical suggestions and the "Methodist layman"
who cited texts from the Bible.
It is a pity that one expression in the Archbishop's motion ("immediate
measures, on the largest and most generous scale compatible with the
requirements of military operations and security") provided the Government
with an excuse to do practically nothing. In order to understand the
Archbishop's words, one should, however, try to realize how manifold were
"the requirements of military operations and security" in those days. <249>
Obviously the Archbishop was well-informed about the persecutions on the
continent of Europe. He had received (as he himself stated in his speech)
reports from the World Jewish Congress, Geneva, and from the Board of
Deputies of British Jews. Dr. Riegner, of the World Jewish Congress, sent
an aide-memoire to the British Ambassador in Bern "on behalf of the
secretariats of the World Council of Churches and of the Jewish Congress".
The covering letter, dated March 22, 1943, stated: "We should also appreciate
it if His Majesty's Government would see fit to pass on the main contents of
this aide-memoire to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the British Section of
the World Jewish Congress". [541] But if the aide-memoire was passed on, it
must have come too late for the meeting in the House of Lords.
The speech of the Archbishop in the House of Lords deserves careful study.
It sheds an important light on the attitude of the Government regarding the
Jewish refugees.
The Archbishop mentioned the proposal for an exploratory Conference at Ottawa.
The country (Canada) in whose capital the conference was to be held, however,
had not been informed, and thus the conference was held at Bermuda, on 19-29
April, 1943. The statement issued at the end of its deliberations merely
promised recommendations - which were not disclosed - and the setting up of
an inter-governmental organization to handle the problem in the future.
The verdict on the allied Governments that "History will record the Bermuda
Conference as a monument of moral callousness and inertia" is not too
severe. [542]
The British Council of Churches, made up of the official representatives
of the Church of England, the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches, met
in London on April 13th and 14th under the presidency of the Archbishop of
Canterbury.
The following resolution was passed on anti-Semitism: <250>
"The British Council of Churches warmly welcomes the statements made by the
leaders of many Christian Churches expressing fellow-feeling with the Jewish
people in the trials through which they are passing and the desire to aid
them in every practicable way. In particular the Council notes with admiration
and thankfulness the statements on this subject which have issued from
Christian leaders in enemy-occupied countries.
The Council affirms that anti-Semitism of any kind is contrary to natural
justice, incompatible with the Christian doctrine of man and a denial of the
Gospel. Malicious gossip and irresponsible charges against Jews, no less than
active persecution, are incompatible with Christian standards of behaviour.
The Council welcomes the decision to hold in Bermuda a Conference in which the
British and American Governments will seek jointly to find practical ways of
rendering immediate and continuing assistance to Jews and other imperilled
people. The Council considers that every possible step ought to be taken to
rescue from massacre the Jews in enemy and enemy occupied territories.
It is convinced that both Christian and Jewish people in this country would
give strong support to a lead from His Majesty's Government in offering
sanctuary in Great Britain for a considerable number of children and adults,
additional to those received before September, 1939, and would be ready to
make sacrifices so as to provide hospitality for them during the war.
The Council further asks that the Bermuda Conference will suggest measures
for rendering the requisite material assistance for the maintenance of
refugees who reach neutral countries, and will give assurance to those
countries of readiness to cooperate in plans for post-war settlement of
the refugees in other parts of the world." [543]
In May, 1943, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland stated:
"The General Assembly protest anew against the atrocious persecution of
the Jews in Nazi-occupied countries, and in the name of Christ condemns
the inhumanity and sacrilege of anti-Semitic policy. They warmly approve
of the steps taken by the Government to assist refugees, and respectfully
urge it to continue and extend its efforts as far as possible. They
assure the Jewish people of their deep sympathy in their grievous
distress, and earnestly commend them to the prayerful concern and
compassion of the Church." [544]
The Assembly of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland passed
the following Resolution (also in May, 1943):
"They call upon His Majesty's Government to promote, in concert with the
Governments of the United States of America and other associated nations,
effective measures for enabling Jews and other victims of German brutality
to escape and find refuge. <251>
In their view the strong abhorrence and detestation of the persecutors,
which are felt throughout the civilised world, and of their purpose of
exterminating the Jews, should be followed by energetic action, not only
to bring to justice in due course the instigators and perpetrators of the
massacres, but to give immediate aid, welcome and asylum in this and other
free countries to those in peril, even though some risk to our own country
may be involved. To this end they ask that restrictions regarding age,
country of origin or means of support should not be put in the way to
liberty and safety.
They ask the Churches to show and inculcate a friendly and helpful attitude
to such refugees, to pray for the deliverance of those who cannot escape
beyond the reach of their barbarous enemies, and to resist as un-Christian
all tendencies to anti-Semitism. [545]
On June 10, 1943, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
adopted the following Resolution:
"The General Assembly has learned with great satisfaction that His Majesty's
Government is prepared to collaborate with the United States of America in
providing asylum for as many victims of German hate as can escape or be
rescued from the danger which threatens them, and to consult with the
Dominion Governments and the Governments of neutral countries with regard
to united action, so that as many of the threatened people as ever possible
may be helped.
In view of the tremendous urgency of the situation, the General Assembly
requests His Majesty's Government to carry out their promises to provide
immediate and effective relief for those in such dire peril." [546]
Churches and Church leaders had, as quoted so far, expressed their desire
and hope that the Government would take practical steps for aiding refugees.
The Bishop of Chichester, however, expressed his disappointment in a letter
to the Editor of "The Times":
"The Foreign Secretary is about to make a statement in the House of Commons
on the result of the Bermuda Conference, and the policy of His Majesty's
Government with regard to refugees. It will be almost exactly five months
after the declaration of December 17, condemning the wholesale massacre of
the Jews by the Nazis 'in the strongest possible terms'. It is a historic
moment in the record of our dealings with the persecuted and the oppressed.
It is quite certain that if the British and American Governments were
determined to achieve a programme of rescue in some way commensurate with
the vastness of the need, they could do it. Nor can there be any doubt
about the response which would be given in Britain to a clear lead based
on the principles of humanity. <252>
There are difficulties. But so far as shipping is concerned, these should
be greatly reduced as a result of the victories in North Africa. The need
of a big camp to which those now in neutral countries could be sent must
be patent to everybody. And the case for a revision of the regulations to
allow many more to enter the United Kingdom is overwhelming.
The guilt of 'this bestial policy of cold-blooded extermination' lies with
the Nazis. But can we escape blame if, having it in our power to do
something to save the victims, we fail to take the necessary action, and
to take it swiftly?" [547]
A few days later the Bishop of Chichester published the following letter
in "The Times":
"In the House of Commons on Wednesday Mr. Peake referred to my letter
printed in your issue of May 18. His principal charge was 'that the Bishop
made no attempt to indicate what was the programme of rescue which he
suggested'. He added that he had searched Hansard for the House of
Lords ever since December 17, but had failed to find any speech by myself
on the subject. I was present at the debate opened by the Archbishop of
Canterbury on March 23 and was prepared to speak. But owing to the number
of speakers, representing all shades of opinion, on that occasion I,
with others, stood down.
It is not, however, true to say that I have made no suggestions as to a
programme of rescue. In a letter in your columns on December 28, 1942, I
referred to the suggestion made by Sir Neill Malcolm in his letter of
December 22, and made further suggestions, such as the obtaining of
facilities from the protecting Power for the transportation of Nazi
victims from Germany and German occupied territories to the nearest
frontier, with a view to entry into places of refuge; a guaranteeing to
neutral Governments willing to give sanctuary to such victims of an
evacuation of as many as possible after the war; and the establishment
of reception areas in lands outside Europe.
I am also a member of the Parliamentary Committee, and I support the
12-point programme for immediate rescue measures drawn up by the National
Committee for Rescue from Nazi Terror, and widely published. I am glad to
hear of the extension of categories of individuals eligible for visas,
which forms a portion of the first of these points.
I entirely agree that a programme of rescue must be a programme of victory.
But this is not inconsistent with a determination by the Government to do
everything possible for temporary sanctuary.
There is a great difference between the spirit of a Government which says,
'We are resolved to do everything in our power, we wish we could do more,
but such and such steps shall be taken at once in spite of all the
difficulties', and the pessimistic attitude which simply repeats, 'We are
filled with burning indignation at the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis
against these people. We are determined to punish the guilty when the
war is over. But for the present these people are beyond possibility
of rescue." [548] <253>
On July 28, 1943, the Bishop of Chichester strongly supported the plea
for urgent government action in a speech in the House of Lords which was
very critical of official policy and action. He contended that:
"...in the matter of the systematic mass murder of the Jews in the Nazi-
occupied territories of Europe, which was the reason why the Bermuda
Conference was called, there has been a deterioration in the determination
to grapple with the problem."
After quoting earlier promises made on behalf of the Government, he
criticized the achievement of this Conference.
"...On April 19-29 the Bermuda Conference took place. It began in a spirit
of pessimism. Its official pronouncement at the end said that the delegates
'had examined the refugee problem in all its aspects'. The Jews were not
mentioned. Agreed confidential recommendations were made which were
designed to lead to the relief of a substantial number of refugees of all
races and nationalities. Not a word was said about 'temporary asylum'..."
Particularly the Bishop emphasized the obligation to give priority to the
persecuted Jews, and the responsibility of both neutral countries and of
the Allied Governments to find temporary asylum for Hitler's victims.
"... It is in the face of this systematic murder, especially in the last
twelve months, that I and so many others plead with the Government to act
in a new way. With the appeal of the stricken people ringing in our ears,
we would be false to our tradition if we failed to do everything we can." [549]
e. Towards the End
As far as we know, few statements were issued during the last period of the
war. Significant was the Archbishop of Canterbury's warning, on Dec. 8, 1943,
that "the sufferings of the Jews be kept in full view of all people so that
the spirit of indignation and compassion in them will not die out". <254>
"It is one of the most terrible consequences of war that the sensitiveness
of people tends to become hardened, "Dr.Temple said. "We could hardly live
these days if we felt the volume of suffering of others in the world as
acutely as we felt in peacetime".
"There is a great moral danger in the paralysis of feeling that is liable
to be brought about. It is most important for our own moral health and
vigor that we express horror at the persecution of the Jews."
Dr. Temple said the persecution of Jews on the Continent, and particularly
in Poland, "almost baffles imagination and leaves one horrified at the
power of the evil that can show itself in human nature." [550]
Another warning came from the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
(May, 1944):
"The General Assembly express their profound sorrow at the lamentable
condition of the Jews in Europe, and in the name of Christ renew their
reprobation of the inhuman atrocities committed against them.
They assure the Jews of their deep concern and sympathy, commend them to
the brotherly offices and prayerful compassion of all Christian men and
women, and warn the members of the Church of Scotland against the growing
danger of anti-Jewish prejudice and propaganda.
They respectfully urge the Government to continue to offer every facility
to enable refugees to escape from the tyranny and oppression of Nazism." [551]
In June, 1944, the Archbishop of Canterbury, presiding at a meeting of the
Council of Christians and Jews, denounced the continued persecution and
attempted extermination of the Jews by the Germans, whose activities he
described as "one of the most hideous of the elements even in the recent
German record".
Dr. Temple moved a resolution expressing concern at the increasing peril to
the Jewish communities involved in the extension of Nazi domination in
Central and South Eastern Europe, coupled with satisfaction at the steps
taken in North Africa and southern Italy to remove all discriminatory
legislation against Jews and other victims of Nazi intolerance.
He and many others, he said, had been disappointed that there had not been
a greater willingness shown on the part of the authorities to help those
who were trying to escape from German-dominated countries... [552] <255>
On July 7, 1944, the Archbishop of Canterbury addressed the following
message to Hungary through the B.B.C.:
"I am eager to speak to the Christian people of Hungary, so far as I can
do so, because of news sent to me through one of the most reliable of
ecclesiastical neutral sources - and what I hear from that source only
confirms what is reported also through other channels. The report is that
a wholesale round-up of Hungarian Jews is taking place under orders from
the German Government, and that those who are carried off have little
chance of survival.
According to this report, the Jews are being deported daily. Already the
Eastern provinces have been cleared of Jews. Now the process is beginning
in the Western districts including the capital. The conditions of travel
are such that on arrival many already are dead; others are killed and
cremated at Auschwitz.
If the Christians of Hungary know the facts I am perfectly confident that
they are also doing everything they can to save these doomed people by
hiding them and helping them to escape. But it may be that inside Hungary
the facts are concealed.
It is for this reason that I feel bound to tell you of them, and beg you to
do your utmost, even taking great personal risks, in order to save some if
you can.
Then you will earn in very special degree the words of approval and thanks:
'In as much as ye did it unto one of these My brethren ye did unto Me'
(Matthew, 25, 40). I speak as a Christian who cannot help to Christians
who can. For the honour of our common Christianity I implore you to do
your utmost." [553]
34 THE UNITED STATES
a. The Time of America's "Neutrality"
It would have been possible to record the statements in this paragraph
under "The Neutral Countries". The United States officially entered into
the war in December, 1941. Japan attacked Pearl Harbour on Dec. 7 and Hitler
declared war upon the United States, on Dec. 11, 1941. Until that time, it
was at least pretended that the United States was neutral and the spirit of
isolationism was still strong.
Before 1942, strong statements against anti-Semitism were issued by Protestant
Churches in the U.S.A., especially by the Federal Council of Churches. After
Hitler's declaration of war, however, the statements took on an additional
clarity: "Anybody spreading anti-Semitism is helping Hitler just as much as
if he were a paid agent of the Reich." [554] Anti-Semitism became "treason
against God, treason against the country." [555]
<256>
On the evening of December 14, 1939, a mass meeting was held at Madison
Square Garden, New York, for the purpose of registering a protest against
the treatment of the Jews in Poland and other areas under the Nazi regime.
The meeting was attended by 20,000 people.
Expressing the sympathy of Christians, Dr. Samuel McCrea Cavert, General
Secretary of the Federal Council of Churches, pointed out, that Christians
as well as Jews were suffering in Poland and other parts of Europe and that
"Christians have a direct stake in what is happening". In conclusion, he
said:
"Out of the calamity in Europe, there emerges one by-product for which we
may be thankful - the new sense of fellowship between Jew and Christian in
America. Nothing so quickly unites men as a cry of desperate human need.
I do not believe there has ever been a time when Christian hearts in America
beat in such sympathy for their Jewish neighbours. There are differences of
religious conviction between Jew and Christian - at one point a momentous
difference - but we share together the priceless spiritual heritage of Israel.
As His Holiness Pope Pius XI truly and nobly said, 'Spiritually we are all
Semites'." [556]
The United Church of Christ issued the following statement in 1940:
"One of the most disturbing currents in America to-day is anti-Semitism.
Under the cover of an attack upon the Jews a covert attack is being made
on Christianity. The manipulators of anti- Jewish propaganda are not
concerned with the alleged evils they denounce; but they are concerned to
destroy the teachings of the Bible - that God, the Lord and Creator of all
men, is a holy God - and the prophetic morality of the Old Testament. They
attack under cover of anti-Semitism God the Lord who is not bound to any
nation but is Lord of all nations. They attack justice, righteousness,
mercy and the divine command for holiness. They attack the law which
Christians and Jews alike acknowledge as God's requirement. Twentieth
century anti-Semitism reveals its true character in its demand on the Church
to surrender the Old Testament and to deny that the God of Abraham, of Moses
and the Prophets is the Father of Jesus Christ. <257>
Anti-Semitism is flatly contradictory to the express teaching of St. Paul. In
Romans 11, St. Paul reminds the Gentile Christians, just as we need to be
reminded today, that Israel is the stem on which Gentile Christians have been
grafted. 'You owe,' he wrote, 'your position to faith. You should feel awed
instead of uplifted.' And again, 'So far as the gospel goes, they (the Jews)
are enemies of God, which is to your advantage; but so far as the election
goes, they are beloved for their father's sake. For God never goes back upon
his gifts and call.'
St. Paul discovered in anti-Semitism a pride which needed to be rebuked.
'You owe your position to faith'; that means, not something we have by
right of possession, not something we can take for granted, not any
kind of inherent superiority at all. Faith is the gift of God. Moreover,
God has not repudiated Israel. They are still beloved. Anti-Semitism is
not only one form of human pride; it is repudiation of the declared purpose
of God.
We recommend that General Synod declare its condemnation of anti-Semitism
and urge upon the members of the Church in the name of Christ the duty to
serve in love the brothers of Christ according to the flesh." [557]
The Federal Council of Churches of Christ in the United States published the
following Resolution, in December, 1940:
"We express as Christians our sympathy with the Jewish people in this hour
of calamity for so many of their group in Europe. We deplore the existence
of anti-Semitism in America and declare our opposition to it because it is
contrary to the spirit and teachings of Christ. We call upon His followers
to create Christian attitudes toward the Jews. This should be a matter of
primary concern for every Christian Church in every community." [558]
On September 19, 1941, the Executive Committee of the Federal Council adopted
the following statement:
"On many previous occasions we have expressed our abhorrence of the religious
and racial intolerance which afflicts our world today. We have especially
emphasized our opposition to unjust and unchristian attacks upon the Jews.
In so doing we have been whole-heartedly supported by similar utterances
officially made by the highest governing bodies of the great dominations
which cooperate in the Federal Council of Churches. <258>
Recent evidences of anti-Jewish prejudice in our own country compel us to
speak again a word of solemn warning to the nation. Divisiveness on religious
or racial grounds is a portentous menace to American democracy.
If one group be made the target of attack today, the same spirit of
intolerance may be visited on another group to-morrow and the rights and
liberties of every group thus be put in jeopardy.
We condemn anti-Semitism as un-American. Our nation is a free fellowship of
many racial and cultural stocks. It is our historic glory that they have
been able to live together in mutual respect, each rejoicing in the rich
contribution which the others have made to the common good. Anti-Semitism
is an insidious evil which, if allowed to develop, would poison the springs
of our national life.
Even more strongly we condemn anti-Semitism as un-Christian. As Christians we
gratefully acknowledge our ethical and spiritual indebtedness to the people
of Israel. No true Christian can be anti-Semitic in thought, word or deed
without being untrue to his own Christian inheritance.
In behalf of the Christian churches which comprise the Federal Council we
voice our renewed determination to unite in combating every tendency to
anti-Semitism in our country. We recognize that a special responsibility
rests upon us who belong to the numerically strongest group, to be staunch
advocates of the rights of minorities." [559]
In 1941, the following "Manifesto to our Brethren and Fellow Citizens of Jewish
Race and Blood" was signed by one hundred and seventy Protestant ministers
representing one hundred and sixty-six churches and twenty-four denominations
in the City of New York:
"With genuine anguish of heart we behold how in many places across the world
today cruel forces of oppression and persecution are being released upon men
and women and children of Jewish race and blood. With profound concern we
note from time to time within our own beloved nation the manifestation of
a spirit of anti-Semitism.
The conscience of Protestant Christendom, as recorded at the great ecumenical
conference held at Oxford, England, during July of 1937, expressed itself
in no uncertain terms when with unanimous voice it affirmed that 'against
all racial pride, racial hatred and persecution and the exploitation of
other races in all their forms, the church is called by God to set its face
implacably and to utter its words unequivocally both within and without
its borders. There is a special need at this time that the church throughout
the world brings every resource at its command against the sin of anti-Semitism.'
With this pronouncement we are in complete accord of heart. Therefore, we would
disavow any words or action promoted by the spirit of anti-Semitism, which
emanate from sources that purport to be Christian. Such words and actions
label themselves unchristian. <259>
We call upon our Christian brethren to guard their hearts, their minds, their
lips, their hands from emotions, thoughts, words or deeds that partake of
'the sin of anti-Semitism'. To that end we command to them the quest for
'the fullness of Christ' within their lives.
We call upon our fellow citizens to remember that anti-Semitism is a threat
to democracy and a denial of the fundamental principles upon which this
nation is founded.
We extend to our brethren and fellow citizens of Jewish race and blood our
solemn assurance that by the constraint of our deepest Christian conviction
we shall oppose unceasingly 'the sin of anti-Semitism' and we shall strive
continuously for the realization of that brotherhood which humanity needs,
democracy requires and Christianity demands." [560]
b. At War with Germany. Co-operation with Jewish Leaders
The Executive of the Federal Council addressed the following "Message for
Race Relations Sunday" (Febr. 8, 1942) to its members:
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word even this: thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself." Gal. 5, 14.
Let us translate this pattern into a social program. Our pronouncements must
now be supported by our practices. Where attacks are made upon Jews or the
sinister spirit of anti-Semitism appears, we must protest in the Name of
Christ and the Church...
Where any racial minority within our borders is exploited or barred from
equal opportunity, we Christians must take a stand for the sake of our faith.
We must, furthermore, create a genuine fellowship that will prevent the
development to such injustice towards any group.
Our love for the Church requires that it be pre-eminently the abode of
fellowship. The Church, by reason of its origin in the universal Christ,
must be a brotherhood of all peoples, remembering that in Him there is
neither Jew nor Greek, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free. Therefore, let
every follower of Christ search in his own soul to see if any enemies of
brotherhood are lurking there. Let him examine his own daily relationships.
Let us all in this awful and creative hour march resolutely forward, not
faithless nor fearful, but confident in the future when democracy and
brotherhood are one.
"If a man say I love God and hateth his brother whom he hath seen, how can
he love God whom he hath not seen." 1 John 4, 20. [561] <260>
In September and October, 1942, the General Secretary of the Federal Council,
Dr. Samuel McCrea Cavert, visited France and Switzerland. The Director of
the World Jewish Congress at Geneva, Dr. Gerhart M. Riegner, stated:
"With regard to our knowledge of the Nazi plan of total extermination of
European Jewry, I wish to state that the first report on this plan reached
me in the last days of July 1942 and I communicated it to Rabbi Wise in
New York and Mr. Silverman in London during the first days of August 1942
(through diplomatic channels). Dr. Wise received the message during the last
days of August 1942 and asked Mr. Cavert to use his visit to Geneva at the
beginning of September 1942 to find out from us whether deportation really
meant extermination. After having spoken to one of us - I believe to Prof.
Guggenheim - he confirmed this in a cable to the United States." [562]
On Dec. 11, 1942, at the great Biennial Assembly of the Federal Council,
the following Resolution on Anti-Semitism was adopted:
"The reports which are reaching us concerning the incredible cruelties towards
the Jews in Nazi occupied countries, particularly Poland, stir the Christian
people of America to the deepest sympathy and indignation. It is impossible
to avoid a conclusion that something like a policy of deliberate extermination
of the Jews in Europe is being carried out. The violence and inhumanity which
Nazi leaders have publicly avowed toward all Jews are apparently now coming
to a climax in a virtual massacre. We are resolved to do our full part in
establishing conditions in which such treatment of the Jews shall end.
The feelings of the Jewish community throughout the world have recently been
expressed in a period of mourning, fasting and prayer. We associate ourselves
with our Jewish fellow-citizens in their hour of tragic sorrow, and unite
our prayers with theirs.
We confess our own ineffectiveness in combating the influences which beget
anti-Semitism in our own country, and urge our constituencies to intensify
their efforts in behalf of friendly relations with the Jews.
We urge that all plans for reconstruction in Europe shall include measures
designed to secure full justice for the Jews and a safe and respected place
for them in western civilisation. For those who, after the war, will have
to emigrate from the war-ridden lands of Europe, immigration opportunities
should be created in this and other lands.
We recommend that the officers of the Federal Council transmit this action
to the Jewish leaders in person." [563] <261>
On Dec. 31, 1942, the Synagogue Council of America published a New Year
message it had addressed to the Rev. Dr. Samuel McCrea Cavert, secretary
of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, and to
Mgr. Michael J. Ready, general secretary of the National Catholic Welfare
Conference. The message was signed by Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of
the Council.
"American Jews," the message said, "share with their Christian brothers the
sense of having been privileged to bear burdens not only in answering the
call of our nation's defence needs, but also in heeding the call of human
needs overseas.
"To the Jews of Hitler-ridden Europe the year 1942 has been the most
catastrophic in their tragedy-laden history. Helpless women, aged and
children, and defenceless men have been slaughtered wholesale and a whole
people has been marked for extermination. Among no other people is such a
toll being taken. If the executioner's hand is not soon stayed, all the
Jews whom it can reach will perish."
The message said the greeting was "preferred to you and to the great body of
Christians whom you represent", and expressed hope for an Allied victory and
a just peace in 1943. [564]
On January 6, 1943, the heads of the six Jewish organizations which comprised
the Synagogue Council of America, under the chairmanship of Rabbi Israel
Goldstein, met in conference with official representatives of the Federal
Council of the Churches of Christ in America. The purpose of the meeting was
to afford an opportunity to discuss together what the Christian Churches
could do to assist the Jews of Europe.
Desiring to express its sympathy in something more than resolutions, the
Federal Council arranged for the conference with the Jewish leaders. Several
fruitful suggestions emerged as to ways in which the Churches might help
to develop stronger support for the needs of refugees from Europe, a
measure of relief in the form of food for at least some of the Jews in
Europe, and a safe and respected place for Jews in the post-war world. [565]
c. Practical Steps Demanded; the Bermuda Conference <262>
"On March 1, 1943, a great demonstration, one of the largest ever held in
the United States, took place in Madison Square Garden at the initiative of
the Congress and under the joint auspices of the American Jewish Congress,
the American Federation of Labour, the CIO, and the Church Peace Union.
Twenty-two thousand people crowded into the great hall, while 15,000 stood
outside throughout the evening listening to the proceedings through
amplifiers.
The demonstration was addressed by Dr. Chaim Weizmann, Dr. Stephen S. Wise,
Governor Thomas E. Dewey, Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, Senator Robert
F. Wagner, William Green, and others.
The British Section transmitted cable messages from the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the late Cardinal Hinsley, whose last public utterance it
was before his death a week later. The meeting laid down a 12-point program
for the rescue of European Jewry prepared by World Jewish Congress experts.
The effect was immediate. On the following day, Undersecretary of State Sumner
Welles declared that a note had already been sent to Great Britain on February
25 offering the cooperation of the United States in organizing an intergovern-
mental meeting for study of methods to save 'political refugees' in Europe.
The meeting came to be known as the Bermuda Refugee Conference..." [566]
On March 1, 1943, the Executive Committee of the Federal Council of Churches
of Christ in America appealed to the Governments of the United States and
Great Britain "to consider offering financial assistance to Jewish refugees
who have escaped to neutral countries from Nazi held territory, and the
possible establishment of temporary places of asylum for those evacuated
from Europe".
The committee urged that the proposals be considered at the forthcoming
conference in Toronto of representatives of the two governments on the
Jewish problem. The suggestion was part of a three-point program calling
for a report by the council's department of research and education on the
treatment of Jews under the Nazi regime and setting aside May 2 for
observance in churches as a "Day of Compassion" for the Jews in Europe.
The committee's action was a sequel to the adoption at the council's
biennial meeting in Cleveland in December of a statement setting forth
the organization's determination "to do our full part in establishing
conditions" in which harsh treatment of Jews should end. The proposals
outlined by the committee for consideration of the British and American
representatives at Toronto were: <263>
"To offer financial assistance for the support of refugees that neutral
governments (for example, Switzerland, or Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Turkey)
may receive from areas under Nazi control, as a result either of infiltration
across their borders or of negotiations with the Axis powers, with the
expectation that, after the war, such refugees would be repatriated in
their own countries.
"To provide places of temporary asylum to which refugees whom it may be
possible to evacuate from European countries may be removed, these refugees
to be supported in camps for the duration of the war, with the understanding
that they will then be repatriated in their own country or be provided with
permanent homes in other ways."
At the same time the committee urged Christians throughout the country
"to give their moral support to whatever measures afford promise of
rescuing European Jews whose lives are in jeopardy."
The committee invited all Christians to "join in united intercession on
May 2 for the victims of racial and religious persecution as a special
occasion for the expression of Christian sollicitude." [567]
The practical steps proposed by the Executive Committee of the Federal
Council to the Governments of the United States and Great Britain were
similar to the steps proposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the
House of Lords at about the same time, [568] and to the Aide-memoire sent by
the Secretariats of the World Council of Churches and of the World Jewish
Congress (Geneva), to the American and British Governments. [569] Not
withstanding all this, the Bermuda Conference became "a monument of
moral callousness and inertia". [570]
d. Different Churches Speaking on Different Occasions
The following is a chronological record of statements made by Churches or
Church leaders in the United States from May, 1943, until the end of the
second world war.
Henry St. George Tucker, Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
Church and president of the Federal Council of Churches, in a statement
on the observance by the Council of a "Day of Compassion" for persecuted
European Jews, said that there had been found a "rising tide of concern
among Christians" over their fate. <264>
Dr. Tucker said it was the first time Christian churches had set aside a
specific day for a "united expression of their sympathy with a suffering
and persecuted Jewry".
"What is happening to the Jews on the Continent of Europe is so horrible
that we are in danger of assuming that it is exaggerated," he said, and
cited a recent survey by the council of evidence that he said indicated
that under the Nazis a policy of deliberate extermination of Jews was
carried out.
"The survey shows that the actual facts are probably more, rather than
less, terrible than the reports," he continued. "The Christian people of
America vigorously protest against this brutal and cruel persecution.
But protest is not enough."
Two remedial measures have been set forth by the council: First financial
assistance for support of refugees reaching neutral countries from Nazi-
occupied areas, and second, provision of temporary asylum to which
refugees evacuated from European countries may be removed. [571]
On October 20, 1943, American religious leaders denounced "the recent acts
of terror in Denmark" and expressed sympathy for the Jews in that country.
The Rev. Dr. P.O. Bessel, president of the Augustan Synod, Minneapolis,
said that the synod was shocked at the German barbarism in Denmark, but was
happy about Sweden's firm stand in offering refuge to the persecuted Jews.
The Rev. Dr. Samuel McCrea Cavert, general secretary of the Federal Council,
said that "the American churches have been thrilled by the news that the
Danish Church has refused to be cowed into silence in the face of the Nazi
attack upon Jews in Denmark". [572]
The following article in "The New York Herald Tribune" shows how strong
anti-Semitic influences in the United States were, in 1943:
BISHOP OXNAM ASSAILS BEATING OF JEWISH BOYS