Part 27 (1/2)
c. Humane methods in the treatment of Jews. Revocation of the order which, in cases of mixed marriages, empowered the non-Jewish party to obtain a divorce, and declared as Jewish the party that failed to comply with this regulation.
d. The cessation of the deportations.
e. Security for the lives of the Jews.
On November 24, 1944, the Deputy Prime Minister replied in the name of the Government. He informed then that Szalasi had succeeded in obtaining the Fuehrer's permission to grant the following points:
”No alteration to be made in the legal status of mixed marriages, the Jews to be separated from the rest of the population of Budapest, and the labour service companies to be directed towards the German frontier, because it was to be feared that they might commit atrocities in the case of a Russian occupation.
When carrying out these measures, however, the principle of humanity would be respected.” [453]
<205> On November 26, 1944, Bishop Ravasz again wrote to the Roman Catholic Primate proposing united action. ”The Primate, tired and very ill, replied that he had already intervened with Szalasi and that he did not feel like repeating the intervention in the company of others.” [454]
On Dec. 1, 1944, the Bishops of the Reformed and Lutheran Churches presented a note to the so-called ”Leader of the Nation”.
”It follows from the prophetic office of Christ's Church that the servant of the Church should always raise his voice when men's acts gravely violate G.o.d's laws”, wrote Bishop Ravasz. The letter stressed, that ”the treatment meted out mocks G.o.d's eternal laws which prescribe humane treatment even toward one's enemies, and brings down G.o.d's anger on the head of the nation. This treatment casts a dark blot on the name of the Magyar nation which, for a thousand years, had been known to the world for its generosity and chivalry.” [455]
A pastoral letter issued in December, 1944, called on the pastors to pray at the services for ”the scattered flock of Israel, the homeless and the persecuted.” [456]
On May 9, 1946, the Hungarian Reformed Church declared that ”in deep humility she confesses her guilt and offence against G.o.d's honour... She had not laboured in time to warn the people and the rulers, when they embarked on a course contrary to G.o.d's laws, and she had not strongly taken her stand on the side of the innocent persecuted human beings.” [457]
<206>
THE NEUTRAL COUNTRIES
31 SWITZERLAND
a. Press Censors.h.i.+p
Switzerland remained neutral throughout the second world war, but it was surrounded by the Axis powers and to a great extent economically dependent on them. The Swiss Government tried to avoid offending the Germans, and thus the press was forbidden to make foreign propaganda or to publish stories about atrocities committed by the warring parties, ”of which the objective correctness could not be verified”.
Even in June, 1943, the press censors.h.i.+p issued the following order: ”There recently appeared several articles about Jews and Polish clergy, without mentioning their source of information. It is understandable that our conscience should be moved by all such inhuman treatment, but yet we must strictly obey the instructions of the Press emergency law, which stipulates that it is our duty to suppress rumours and foreign propaganda.” [458]
Thus censors.h.i.+p imposed silence on the press concerning reports of ”b.l.o.o.d.y murders of hostages and persecution of Jews”. The first time, however, that, to the best of my knowledge, Church leaders in Switzerland spoke out about the persecution of the Jews during the second world war, they did so in a protest against censors.h.i.+p of the Press.
On October 27, 1941, the following Pet.i.tion was presented by the ”Social Study Committee of the Swiss Reformed Pastors Union” to the Swiss Federation of Churches: <207>
1. We take the liberty of drawing the attention of the Swiss Federation of Churches, which is the spokesman of the Swiss Churches to the Federal Authorities, to the alarming position of the Evangelical Reformed Church.
2. The press-censor has repeatedly taken severe measures against men who, as representatives of the Evangelical Church, have raised their voices to inform public opinion.
These measures have aroused deep and widespread concern in many circles to whose notice they have come, despite the ban on the publication of such matters, and have led to the opinion that the Evangelical Church is no longer allowed to p.r.o.nounce the truth entrusted to its care...
3. We especially bear in mind the silence imposed on us by our censors.h.i.+p concerning the injustice of the b.l.o.o.d.y murders of hostages and the persecution of Jews. When mentioning this subject, we should certainly not shout about it from the roof tops, but under no circ.u.mstances should our sense of justice and injustice be blunted within our national conscience. Otherwise we shall invoke G.o.d's heavy punishment on our country.
Therefore, we take exception to the reproach levied at us by some, that such intrepid talk of injustice by a foreign nation, is a misjudgement.
4. The apprehension we bring to your notice particularly gains alarming weight by the fact that we, as Evangelical and democratic citizens of Switzerland, have to look on while un-Christian and undemocratic ideologies and deeds cross our borders unhindered in the form of many foreign newspapers and ill.u.s.trated periodicals, which are thus able to exert their influence on young and old. Does not this give rise to the impression that our highest authorities do not sufficiently recognize the danger of a moral and spiritual capitulation on our part, or consider it to be of only secondary importance?
We therefore request the Federation of Churches: a. That it remonstrate with the highest responsible authorities of our country and draw their attention to the deep concern and alarm which these measures by our censors.h.i.+p have aroused in large circles of our Evangelical Church.
b. That it publicly voice its opinion on the matter and unequivocally make known its stand, with the full weight of its authority.
c. That it emphatically take a stand on behalf of all persons in our Church, whose freedom of speech is endangered or impaired, and that it encourage our Church authorities and Synods to make use of their divinely authorized right of freedom of speech. [459]
On November 17, 1941, a conference of the ”Swiss Protestant Relief Society for the Confessing Church in Germany” was held at Wipkingen near Zurich. It was attended by 300 churchmen from all parts of Switzerland. A Resolution regarding the Censors.h.i.+p of ecclesiastical publications was presented and unanimously adopted. We quote from this resolution the following: <208> ”The undersigned Reformed Swiss Pastors have taken note of the following facts: That the Department for Press and Radio of the army has imposed preliminary censors.h.i.+p on the periodical Neue Wege, and thus has prevented its further publication; ...
that the same office has demanded of the Swiss press that they refrain henceforth from taking any stand on the execution of hostages by a foreign power;...
They herewith publicly protest against these measures, as they are concessions to the spirit and methods of a policy incompatible with the Reformed Confession and pernicious to the Swiss Federation.
They herewith publicly declare that they are determined to continue to fulfil their duty, to declare the truth to our people, the suppression of which is attempted by these measures.”
One hundred pastors signed this ”Protest and Declaration”, which was submitted to the Federal Government and to the Army Commanders. [460]
The same Conference adopted the following Resolution on ”The Jewish Problem”:
”The Conference meeting to-day at Zurich-Wipkingen sends to the Committee of the Swiss Protestant Church Federation the urgent request that it should take action so that all the Reformed Churches in Switzerland may make a public statement on the Jewish problem.