Prewar Sentiment
(February 7, 1934)
Letter to the Editor of the Cv Zeitung:
Helmuth Bernhard
J 2 OLIVA 5576
Berlin, W 15, 7 February 1934
Duisburgerstr. 12
To the editor of the CV—Zeitung
Berlin W 15
Emserstr. 42
Dear Sir,
As a Jew, and especially as a businessman, it is becoming
increasingly evident that the German greeting Heil Hitler, which is
being adopted by a growing number of people, is often being used also
in encountering Jews. It is not clear whether the person is actually
aware that he is greeting a Jew, although it has to be said that it
is often being used in greeting people with typically Jewish names.
As a Jew, one finds oneself in an embarrassing situation—how to
return the greeting without hurting the national feelings of the person
and at the same time, without insulting Jewish dignity and injuring
the Jews image in the eyes of the National Socialist authorities. It
is especially difficult for businessmen when dealing with clients.
It is true also in the opposite situation. When one
goes to the authorities, especially in the judicial system, one usually
feels that one is received with mistrust when using the old forms of
good day or good morning. The form with German greetings replaces the
traditional Sincerely in most business correspondence.… A Jewish
businessman who continues signing letters to his clients without using
the German greeting, may naturally find himself in danger of being discriminated
against when compared to his competitors. This, of course, is contrary
to the declaration of the Reich Economic Minister, who ordered that
no difference be made between Aryans and non-Aryans in economic matters…
I believe this entire issue ought to be discussed and clarified in your
paper. Perhaps an official clarification by the Reichsvertretung (National
Representation of the German Jews) regarding the following questions
ought to be sought:
Can or should a German Jew greet or return the greeting by raising ones
arm? Heil Hitler? Heil? With German Greetings (in writing)?
My suggestion, based purely on my feelings, would be to answer the question
1) Yes. 2) no. 3) yes. 4) yes.
Sincerely,
(signature)
PS. Should this be published, please use my initials or an alias.
D.O.
Sources: The Central Archive for the History of the Jewish People, Jerusalem. Microfilm of CV Archives, Center for the Preservation of Historical Documentary Collection (OSOBI), Moscow. Fond. 721, File 2553. |