Part 29 (1/2)
On your day of mourning we pray that G.o.d'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 G.o.d; 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 ga.s.sed 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 pa.s.s 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 G.o.d: hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O G.o.d'.” [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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 ma.s.s murders of the Jews in Hungary which, according to reliable information were carried out recently, surpa.s.s 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 G.o.d.
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 ma.s.s 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 G.o.d was born.
Tell openly from the pulpits how many hundreds of thousands are being exterminated in gas chambers and crematoriums, while further mult.i.tudes 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.