Issue of the American newspaper New York World-Telegram dated November 7, 1938 – reporting on the assassination by the Jewish youth Herschel Grynszpan on German embassy secretary in Paris, Ernst vom Rath – the day before the cruel Nazi reaction on Kristallnacht, which included riots against Jews throughout Germany.
On the title page, in the center of the page, the news reported by the AP news agency is detailed under the headline: “Jew, 17, Shoots Reich Official in Paris Office, Youth With Polish Passport Held by French”, the article describes in detail the assassination incident. At that time, the newspaper reported on vom Rath who was still alive (he died from his injuries the next day), and there was no mention of any Nazi organization to riot against Jews following the assassination. In fact, on the next evening Kristallnacht erupted.
The news in the newspaper:
“Paris, November 7 – A 17-year-old Polish Jew, who declared that he came to avenge his countrymen who were expelled from Germany, shot and seriously wounded a secretary of the German embassy today. The secretary, Ernst vom Rath, 32, nephew of the late Roland Köster, former German ambassador to France, was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery to remove bullets from his abdomen and shoulder. An embassy spokesman said the young man, who fired, declared that he “wanted to avenge his Polish brothers” [Germany last week sent back to Poland several thousand Polish Jews residents, fearing that new Polish passport regulations might deprive them of citizenship and leave them in Germany as German nationals]. He fired two shots. The young man entered the embassy at 9:35 am (4:35 NY time). He was taken to the office of vom Rath, attached to the German consulate and the embassy as well. The embassy said the young man initially delivered a brief speech to the secretary, saying that he came to avenge his countrymen. He then pulled out the gun and fired twice. One bullet entered the right shoulder of vom Rath, the other the left side of his abdomen. vom Rath was taken to a nearby hospital. Embassy authorities held the youth until the French police arrived. An embassy spokesman identified the attacker as Herschel Grynszpan, 17, a former resident of Hanover, Germany. He was born in Hanover, but he carries a Polish passport, the spokesman said. The embassy spokesman accused the youth of “being incited by Jews in France”, and indicated his belief that the shooting was inspired by the recent mass deportation of Polish Jews from Germany”.
Continued in the same article, it reports on an antisemitic wave that swept Slovakia (unrelated to the Herschel Grynszpan murder). The newspaper reports between 4,000 to 5,000 Jews who were expelled from the Bratislava district to Hungarian occupation areas, and the estimate is that even more were expelled from other areas of Slovakia. In addition, many Jews left Slovakia voluntarily before the occupation. Many Slovaks said on the streets: “Good times will come to our country only when a Jew hangs from every tree”. Also reported is the confiscation of Jewish property before their expulsion from Slovakia. Also reported here is a group of several hundred Jewish youths, boys and girls, who left Konstanz, Romania, over the weekend to go to Israel to study at an agricultural school. Members of this group tried to reach Israel by train several months ago, were sent back to the Italian border, and since then most of them have been in a camp in the Carinthia region. A United Press report from Vienna reported that over the weekend, Jewish families in the Leopoldstadt district visited young people who said they represented the Nazi party or the Nazi stormtroopers organization. They instructed Jews to write to their friends and relatives abroad to stop the “revolting agitation” against Germany. Also is reported on 500 Jewish refugees who arrived in Romania on their way to Eretz Israel.
Complete issue. 46 p. 58 cm. Slightly fragile paper. Small open tear on the right margins at the edge of the lines on all pages. Overall good condition.
