Archival Journeys
I came across a stack of highly intriguing issues of Völkischer Beobachter from 1935 to 1943. It’s somewhat like the Soviet newspaper Pravda, but in a simpler and more “popular” style. The newspapers appear to have been discarded from a library—many have the stamp of the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs USSR library. Some issues have pencil markings and underlinings made by an NKID staff member.
The newspapers are extremely fragile, literally crumbling in my hands, so I had to restore them. This is a long process, and I haven’t finished yet, nor is it entirely clear what the purpose of this effort is. The issues from August and September 1939 have been preserved in detail and are almost consecutive. For other months and years, the issues are scattered but still very interesting.
For instance, here’s the Berlin edition of the newspaper from August 13, 1935, which appears to be the earliest issue in my collection. The main headline reads: "Popular Uprising Against Jews in Eastern Upper Silesia." The subheading: "Increased Resistance of Katowice Residents Against Jewry." Here is a summarized translation of the article (the original text is in the photo):
Katowice, August 12. A wave of anti-Jewish rallies in Eastern Upper Silesia has intensified due to the arrogant behavior of Jewry. On Saturday, a large demonstration against Jews took place. In the evening, it escalated into clashes with Jews who tried to tear down posters from the walls of buildings. Some Jews were beaten and injured. In another part of the city, a Jew attempting to remove posters was maimed with a club.
During the night leading into Monday, Jewish shop signs were smeared, and the window of a Jewish merchant was smashed. Police have not yet identified the perpetrators. It is presumed that they were members of a Polish anti-Jewish organization from Sosnowiec. This organization has numerous local groups in the cities of Eastern Upper Silesia. Sosnowiec is infamously known as a center of Eastern Jewry.
Here’s a brief note on the second page:
A Jew Insulted Reich Minister Dr. Goebbels.
Detmold, August 12. David Böhm, who provoked irritation with his constant interactions with young German girls, was arrested by police for vile public defamation of Reich Minister Dr. Goebbels. He will face trial in Detmold.
And just below it:
The head of the Hanover Farmers’ Union calls for reports on those who still maintain business or personal ties with Jews so that they can be dismissed from their positions. Members of the food service industry who continue to associate with Jews should be added to a blacklist.
On the back page, there’s an advertisement: "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" in a cardboard cover for 90 pfennigs. "The Protocols reveal the criminal activities of the Jewish global plague in its efforts to subjugate the Gentiles."
Photos include: "The Führer Addresses the Old Guard in Rosenheim," "A New Giant Standard for the Führer at the NSDAP Assembly Hall in Nuremberg," and so on.
We debated whether it was worth keeping and restoring all of this. After all, it’s well-documented, and there may be no need to revisit it. One might think of these newspapers as museum curiosities, but it turns out that the current wave of anti-Israel sentiment in many media outlets is not so far removed from the content of these papers.
