Source : Israelitisches Familienblatt (Hamburg), 24 May 1933
Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Cohn, Berlin Head of the Agudas Jisroel [Agudath Israel] world organisation The following article by the representative of Orthodoxy requires a short introduction. More than other streams in Judaism, Orthodoxy quite naturally expects help and solutions to come through an emphasis on religious values and a return to piety. Consequently, there is no need for a reaffirmation of this opinion in the following essay; it will comment mostly on the issue of cultural autonomy. ΓÇô The editors
Many minds, and not only Jewish ones, search for a solution to the urgent Jewish question. In this context, the idea of Jewish national autonomy has been proposed. A national authority (Curia) should be formed in Germany and be endowed with cultural autonomy by the government. Guided by our tradition, the commandments handed down to us on Mount Sinai and our sense of duty, this article wishes to point the way for an orthodox statement on this matter.
First, a short examination of the political situation: Since the Versailles treaty established the notion of minority rights and the League of Nations was made guardian of this provision, Orthodoxy has believed that the Jews of each country should claim their rights and present their aspirations in accordance with the laws and bodies of the countries in which they live. Furthermore, any intent by foreign interests to exert undue influence on the internal affairs of the home country contradicts Jewish tradition. We emphasise that the rejection of minority rights is not based on the consideration that minority rights could cause an estrangement between the majority, i.e. the ruling people of a country, and the Jews. As mentioned above, our rejection is deeply rooted in religious grounds. Yet regrettably, we have to openly acknowledge that even within Jewish circles we are only understood by those whose lifestyles, world views and political conceptions are based entirely on religion. Hence follows the purely political conclusion that Orthodoxy rejects outright the Jewish national authority. The entire project would only be conceivable if the minority were to be subordinated to the protection of the League of Nations. Consequently, Germany's integrity would no longer be sustained in relation to the League of Nations.
Religious factors are added to this political consideration. Apparently, anyone who is not of purely Aryan descent dating back at least three generations, would be relegated to the Jewish national authority. This also includes people who reject the Jewish religious community and do not have anything in common with the Jewish Weltanschauung . From the religious point of view, this is intolerable, for reasons which no doubt need no further elaboration. Yet another serious consideration arises. Orthodoxy has achieved its independence through terrible and heated battles, and the purely historical question, of the extent to which this independence has been utilised, can be disregarded in this statement. Attempts by the other side to undo this achievement continue incessantly. From previous experience we learn that such times are a fertile ground for such efforts. If a kind of 'forced unity' were created through a Jewish national authority, the majority would seriously endanger Orthodoxy's independence within this authority. To doubt the validity of this prediction is to disregard 150 years of historical experience. One ought to admit that calls for freedom of conscience have not been sufficiently respected. Nobody should say that, compared with the current situation, this is a trivial concern, as it is no small matter when historical continuity is broken. During the past 40 years, a great deal has been said about the differences between the purely national, the purely religious and the mixed national-religious definitions of Jewry. In the current state of affairs, acceptance of the Jewish national authority would signify an acceptance of the racial definition and would disregard the fact that Jewry and Judaism are bound to accept anyone of an alien race who professes belief in Judaism. Such a person is regarded as a full member of the Jewish community. In Judaism, religion stands very high above all racial and national conceptions. To adopt and accept a Jewish national authority is close to a betrayal of this idea. We stress that [the religious] conception of Jewry does not arise only from passing circumstances, but is in fact an objective one, independent of time, and universally valid.
