A Jewish Story. Sheldon Cohen

Hitler that Britain could not accept his proposals.

      Hitler felt that Chamberlain’s refusal was a bluff, because he knew that neither Britain nor France were willing to go to war over the Sudetenland. Nor were they willing to make an alliance with Russia since both democracies hated Communism and viewed it as an international threat.

      Mussolini came to Hitler’s rescue when he suggested a four-power conference on Czechoslovakia to include Germany, Italy, Britain and France and not including Russia or Czechoslovakia. In Mussolini’s mind, this would enhance the possibility of an agreement over the Sudetenland and undermine opposition to Germany.

      The meeting took place in Munich on 29 September 1938. Britain and France agreed that for the promise of no further territorial demands in Europe, Hitler could have the Sudetenland. Two days later, Hitler marched in and took over the Sudetenland, which included all of Czechoslovakia’s mountainous defenses. Czechoslavakia now found itself defenseless against any further aggression.

      Ben and Leah remained keen observers of the geopolitical chess game played out for the world to ponder. Who would make what move and what were the ramifications? Leah was fearful while Ben prayed that, by some miracle, Hitler had reached the end of the line as far as his ambitions were concerned.

      “He would have to have a death wish to try and go any further. You can only spit in the face of your enemies so long, before they spit back,” said Ben.

      “If you’re talking about Chamberlain, I doubt if he’d spit. I rather think that he’d continue to appease while Hitler takes over Europe,” answered Leah.

      “You get no help from newspapers,” said Ben. One day you read that an unimpeachable source says that Hitler has made up his mind to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia while another source says the opposite.”

      “I can only wonder how Stalin feels about being left out of these deliberations over the fate of Czechoslovakia. If this doesn’t make him worry about Hitler’s intentions, I don’t know what will,” said Leah

      “Hitler’s view of what he’s done is that he’s Germany’s new Bismarck. If he had a brain in his body, he’d rest on his laurels now, resolve the issue of Czechoslovskia without using his military and be content to leave the rest of Europe alone. That’s what I’d like to believe, but every time I think of his Mein Kampf, and see how fanatical he is, an inner voice tells me that a man like that, once he has put in writing what he believes, will not rest until his writings have been proven providential and he has all of Europe and the world. It is very depressing because you and I and our children are our world,” said Ben.

      “So far,” said Leah, I believe England and France are giving him slack, because all he has asked for is the return of those areas that used to be German or where there is a German majority. I mean like the Saar, the Rhineland and the Sudetanland. He got what he wanted because neither Britain nor France was willing to go to war over those territories. Even though the Sudetenland has become part of Czechoslovakia, it does have a German majority and used to be part of Germany, you see.”

      Ben countered, “I believe you can never forget what he said in his Mein Kampf about his master Aryan race and their need for lebensraum. He’s gained plenty and if he would stop now the world could breathe a sigh of relief. Taking Czechoslavakia would be the first time that he would set out to conquer non-German lands. What’s the world to think then?”

      “Don’t you see the contradiction?” asked Leah.

      “What do you mean?”

      Leah answered. “You yourself have said that in his book he always makes the point that racial purity is the ultimate goal for his superior Nazis. Jews and Slavs just defile Nazis so they should never be a part of Germany.”

      “Not exactly,” said Ben. “Yes, he makes that claim all the time, but that does not mean, as far as Slavs are concerned, that they can’t be used as slaves of the German masters once he has taken all their lands for his so-called lebensraum. And maybe he means the same fate for the Jews.”

      It would not take long for Ben’s words to become prophetic. In late autumn on November 7, 1938 a German Jewish refugee by the name of Herschel Grynszpan shot and killed an employee of the German Embassy in Paris named Ernst Vom Rath. He did this in retaliation for the Nazis deporting ten thousand Jews, including Grynszpan’s father, to Poland. The Poles refused them. Grynzpan had meant to kill the ambassador, but shot a third secretary sent out to see what he wanted.

      Goebbels wasted no time issuing instructions that “spontaneous” demonstrations should break out all over Germany. The true organizer was Reinhard Heydrich, the number two man after Heinrich Himmler, of the SS. His instructions were specific:

      Burn down Synagogues only if certain there would be no fire danger to adjacent property

      Destroy Jewish businesses and Jewish residences, but do not loot.

      Police will not interfere

      Jews, especially the rich, are to be confined to concentration camps

      These crimes took place all throughout Germany and Austria.

      They arrested twenty-thousand Jews, looted 7,500 shops, burned or destroyed 195 synagogues, killed thirty-six Jews and wounded thirty-six. This “night of the broken glass” resulted in a backlash from a world horrified by what had taken place.

      “And what do you think Hitler said about the fact that the world was shocked at this all-out pogrom against the Jews?” asked Ben.

      “I don’t know. What did he say?” answered Leah.

      “Can you guess?”

      “Hmm…not a clue really…probably he said something about the damn Jews and their ability to get sympathy from the world?”

      “Well, that’s logical thinking, but no, he said that the sympathy of the world was proof of the scope of the Jewish world conspiracy.”

      “Oh, I see, The Jews have the whole world in their pockets…and all for the purpose of being against Hitler and Germany and world control You’re right…paranoia to the extreme. It means to me that he is determined to act against Jews in one way or another. We were lucky to leave when we did,” said Leah.

      “Yes, but I live with the feeling that he’s trying to get us…you, me and our children,” said Ben.