We, the Jews of Germany, receive the boycott proclaimed against us with profound shame and fury. Its brief duration and astonishingly quiet implementation do not compensate us for the massive insult and sorrow in the notion that we are to atone as Jews for the iniquities of others or even to serve as hostages vis-a-vis other countries. However, while this boycott was aimed against a certain position - the application of which to all of German Jewry was certainly out of place - it was followed by actions aimed not at individuals (such as political opponents) but at the very existence of Jewry as such. The reasoning holds that only people with German blood in their veins may represent the grandeur of the state and the honour of German culture, because authentic culture can emanate only from the roots of the nation ( aus dem Volkstum ). We do not believe that these principles, which require far-reaching laws, can pass the test of considered thought and responsibility. They disregard the realities of life and fail to show even a hint of awareness of ancient tradition. We therefore fear that the implementation of these principles will not only harm a segment of the German people whose importance transcends anything that a handful of pen-pushers can express in quotations, but will also add no respect to German culture and to Germany's good name world wide... We have now been forced into a situation where Goethe's saying, If I loved you, is it any of your concern?' is practically the only refuge for the German Jew who does not wish to forfeit his self-respect or the purpose of his labours. Avoiding internal contradictions, he wishes to continue his German labours and his action on Germany's behalf. It was not we who instigated the struggle concerning our Germanness ( Deutschtum ). We cannot believe that Germany will gain anything by forcing Germans to cast doubt on themselves and their homeland. We can still see the situation - that cannot be justified in any sense - as containing a path to a solution that alone is worthy of the German people's honour. We are still capable of maintaining inner calm and confidence against the tremendous moral pressures to counter this pallid theory with our living example - but how long can we continue to withstand the pressure without collapsing? Questions of trust are slowly starting to form; the genuine statesman must confront tangible reality. Let us hope that our dignity will be restored and that the situation will leave us free to work in the Fatherland, our Fatherland....
