H. Freeden, The Jewish Press in the Third Reich, Providence & Oxford, 1993. pp. 21-28, 49-53, 57-59
Structure and Statistics
By 1933, the structure of Jewish periodical publication in Germany was highly differentiated. Five categories can be distinguished: political papers; religious periodicals; periodical publications of the Gemeinden ; scientific and cultural journals; professional periodicals; and publications of associations. Let us survey each of these categories in turn. Among the political papers, the oldest was the Juedische Rundschau , founded in 1896, the official organ of the Zionistische Vereinigung fuer Deutschland (ZVfD, German Zionist Association). It was the only one of the large Jewish papers that appeared twice weekly.
Three years later, in 1899, the Hamburger Israelitisches Familienblatt was founded. It had a special distinction: while all other periodicals, with the exception of the small Juedische Zeitung in Breslau, were maintained by Jewish organizations, institutions, Gemeinden and associations, the Hamburger Israelitisches Familienblatt (renamed Israelitisches Familienblatt after its relocation to Berlin in 1935) was the only major Jewish paper that was privately owned.
The political weekly with the greatest circulation was the CV-Zeitung , that had evolved in 1922 from the monthly Im Deutschen Reich , founded in 1895; it was published by the Centralverein deutscher Staatsbuerger juedischen Glaubens (The Central Association of German Citizens of the Jewish Faith). Another political weekly with a broad distribution was Der Schild (The Shield), founded in 1921 by the Reichsbund juedischer Frontsoldaten (National League of Jewish Combat Veterans).
In 1934, these four large papers had a combined total circulation of 143,800; that figure declined by 13 percent to 130,000 in 1935 and to 123,000 in 1936. Based on a total Jewish population of approximately 400,000 one can thus assume that virtually every Jewish family read one of these papers.
There were other smaller Jewish political papers, such as the Zionist Juedische Zeitung in Breslau, founded in 1924, and the Palaestina-Nachrichten , a periodical dealing with economy and politics established in 1934. The Staatszionist and the irregular Der Nationaldeutsche Jude (founded in 1921), both published in Berlin, as well as Der Vortrupp (Advance Guard, established 1933), were closed down by official order in 1935.
In view of political developments during the years 1933-1938, there was a decided decline in the numerical importance of the religious periodicals, although these papers did not limit themselves to religious questions, and also addressed the events of the day. The oldest of such papers, Der Israelit , published in Frankfurt/Main and founded in 1860 as the official organ of Agudas Yisroel, was regarded as the most important voice of German Orthodoxy.
The Laubhuette was the chief paper within the Orthodox community [ Einheitsgemeinde ]; founded in Hamburg in 1884, it later bore the name Deutsch-Israelitische Zeitung ( Die Laubhuette ) until 1935.
The organ of liberal Judaism was the Juedisch Allgemeine Zeitung (successor to the Juedisch - Liberale Zeitung ); it was based in Berlin, where the newsletter Mitteilungen der juedischen Reformgemeinde also appeared.
The monthly Zion , published in Berlin, was the official organ of the religious-Zionist Mizrahi movement.
Aside from the Gemeindeblatt der juedischen Gemeinde Berlin , founded in 1910, and the Verordnungsblatt des Oberrats badischer Israeliten , established in Karlsruhe in 1884, all of the papers put out by the various Gemeinden came into being after World War I. In 1936, there were 23 such Gemeinde periodical publications; five were weekly, 12 biweekly and six were issued on a monthly basis. The largest circulation was that of the Berlin Gemeindeblatt at 51,000 copies; the smallest figures were for the periodicals in Kassel and Saarbruecken, each with 450. In order to include the smaller Jewish communities, papers were put out by the regional Gemeinde federations on a regional basis in addition to the periodicals of the individual communities: thus, there were regional Gemeinde papers for Prussia, Bavaria, Wuerttemberg and Hesse. The 23 Gemeinde periodicals had a total combined circulation of 110,000 copies in 1936.
In the category of scientific and cultural periodicals, the journal Der Morgen was the principal cultural-political publication, even though its circulation was only 1,600 copies. Founded in Darmstadt by Julius Goldstein in 1925, it was regarded after it relocation to offices in Berlin (1930) as an elite platform for 1933, the cultural scene was enhanced by the appearance of the monthlies put out by four Kulturbuende: Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg. Though their columns were devoted in the main to commentary on the cultural events staged by the various cultural leagues, they occasionally went beyond this to express views on Jewish cultural problems more generally, as the mimeographed monthly newsletter of the National Federation of Jewish Cultural Leagues, Mitteilungen des Reichsverbandes der Juedischen Kulturbuende (Berlin) as well.
The principal scientific periodicals were the Zeitschrift fuer juedische Familienforschung (Journal for Jewish Genealogy, Berlin), the Monatsschrift fuer Geschichte und Wissenschaft des Judentums (Monthly Journal for the History and Science of Judaism, Breslau), the Zeitschrift fuer die Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland (Journal for the History of Jews in Germany, Berlin) and the periodical Juedische Wohlfahrtspflege und Sozialpolitik (Jewish Welfare and Social Policy, Berlin), all of which appeared on an irregular basis.
Among periodicals of professional groups and voluntary associations, whose circulation figures ranged from 10,000 for a masonic journal ( Grossloge fuer Deutschland, UOBB ) down to 250 for a professional journal for cantors ( Der juedische Kantor ), and which generally appeared on an irregular basis, one should also note the athletics monthly of the sports club Der Makkabi (Berlin) with a circulation of 5,000, the monthly for artisans Der juedische Handwerker (Berlin ΓÇô 3,600), and the women's monthly Blaetter des juedischen Frauenbundes (Berlin ΓÇô 3,600). All figures are for the year 1936.
The most important source of news for the Jewish press was the J.T.A. (Juedische Telegraphen-Agentur), with branches in Jerusalem, New York, London, Paris, Prague and Warsaw. All major Jewish papers subscribed to their daily package of news. Due to its broad network of correspondents, the J.T.A. was able to provide paper readership with a good orientation. For reports from Palestine, there was a further press service, Palco (Palaestina-Korrespondenz), but the Jewish press did not suffice simply with reproducing the news items and stories received; rather, these were supplemented by reports from their own correspondents in the most important centers. Of course, that was true particularly in the case of the political papers. A number of the Gemeinde papers banded together to produce a general paper with various local editions, such as the communities in Duesseldorf, Essen and Wuppertal, in order to better inform their readership over and beyond a diet of purely local news items.
Advertisements played a major role in the expansion of the Jewish press: the numerous periodicals would not have been able to fulfill their new tasks and functions if they had not been aided by a substantial increase in the volume of advertising. Like the editorial columns, the ad sections gave clear expression to the changing situation faced by German Jewry. Before 1933, advertisements had played a minor role, and the few ads that appeared were more an expression of good will on the part of a particular firm than any form of intentional commercial advertising. The want ads' section, that often serves to create a bond between the paper and its readers, was virtually unknown in these periodicals, aside from the Hamburger Israelitisches Familienblatt. A Jewish 'marriage market' had sprung up inside its family aΓÇô instead of going to a marriage broker, you put a matrimonial ad in the paper.
These advertisements provide a psychological and sociological picture of the Jewish middle class in the decades between the world wars. For example, there was a phenomenon of 'marrying into' a business: the parents of the prospective bride would place an ad announcing that they were looking for a suitable husband for their daughter of marriageable age, and that the lucky man would then be taken on as a partner in the business of the bride's father. This practice frequently resulted in ads that sounded almost like a caricature: 'Partner sought for successful men's clothing store in a middle-size provincial city. Requirements: commercial experience and marriage with the amiable daughter of the family.'
All this changed after 1933. Without expanding its want ad section, the Jewish press would not have been able to fulfil its new functions. The expansion of the editorial section went hand in hand with the growth in ads, which facilitated greater scope and variety in editorial content. Comparative statistics from the years 1932 and 1936 provide a revealing picture:
Table 1: Comparative Figures for Size of Paper and Advertising Volume, 1932-1936
PAPER TOTAL NO. PAGES OF
OF PAGES ADVERTISING
1ST QUARTER 1ST QUARTER
1932 1936 1932 1936
CV-Zeitung 128 310 45.9 90.4
Juedische 120 516 14.5 172.3
Rundschau
Isr. Familienblatt 262 346 39.5 84
(Berlin edition)
Berliner 84 286 36.3 142.9
Gemeindeblatt
The actual expansion in total size is not accurately reflected in these figures, since in addition to the increased number of pages, most papers also enlarged their format. Taking these changes in format into consideration, one can calculate the increase in total size and in the volume of advertising for the four papers from the first quarter of 1932 to 1936 as follows:
Table 2: Growth in Size of Paper and Advertising Volume, 1932-1936
PAPER INCREASE IN TOTAL SIZE INCREASE IN VOLUME
OF ADVERTISEMENTS
CV-Zeitung 550% 459%
Juedische Rundschau 425% 1200%
Familienblatt 150% 275%
Gemeindeblatt 525% 600%
A number of papers, such as the Juedische Rundschau, CV-Zeitung and Berliner Gemeindeblatt , became financially independent as a result of the increase in advertising, and this also holds true in the case of smaller Gemeinde periodicals that were cheaper to produce due to their size. Moreover, the papers were assisted by an official ruling of June 1934 (Advertising Council for the German Economy) stipulating that papers could no longer be distributed gratis. In particular, that affected the Gemeinde papers, which collected subscription fees as part of the Gemeinde religious taxes. However, there were also some organizations and associations that had distributed their periodicals to members cost-free; they now were obliged to charge for their publications. In addition to the financial benefits for the paper, this also had the advantage that people who received the papers were perhaps more likely to read them.
Table 3: Circulation Figures for the Largest Jewish Papers in Germany, 1934-1938
PAPER 1934 1935 1937 1938
CV-Zeitung 50,000 40,000 40,000 39,500
Juedische 37,000 37,000 37,000 25,300
Rundschau
Hamburger 36,500 36,500 30,000 26,500
Israelitisches
Familienblatt
Der Schild 19,350 17,200 14,000 15,100
Berliner 46,000 52,000 46,000 40,000
Gemeindeblatt
Frankfurter 7,200 7,200 7,200 6,300
Gemeindeblatt
Breslauer 5,300 5,500 5,300 ΓÇö
Gemeindeblatt
Muenchener 4,500 4,500 4,500 -
Gemeindeblatt
Based on: Lexikon des Judentums , Guetersloh 1967
Table 4: Total Monthly Circulation for Jewish Periodicals by Category
CATEGORY 1934 1935 1936 1937
Political 755,000 685,000 617,200 583,350
Gemeinde 315,000 322,500 292,000 285,600
Religious 47,000 45,400 22,600 22,600
Professional 28,000 29,300 27,700 26,800
organizations
Culture, 22,000 31,000 33,800 32,850
science
Other 15,000 21,300 5,000 5,000
Total: 1,182,000 1,134,500 998,300 956,200
Based on: Lexikon des Judentums , Guetersloh 1967
No less than in other parts of the paper, the social, economic and psychological situation of Jews in Germany at the time was clearly reflected in the advertising sections, especially the columns of small want ads. Thus, in the first quarter of 1936, the Berliner Gemeindeblatt published more than 2,300 ads for rooms and apartments. A portion of the Jewish population had to vacate their apartment, or tried to rent out furnished rooms for extra money. Those furnished rooms, in turn, were in demand among persons who had become homeless. Another factor playing a role was the emigration of younger family members, so that older married couples suddenly found themselves alone in large apartments.
Ads announcing family events also increased dramatically:
Table 5: Family Announcements
PAPER 1ST QUARTER 1932 1ST QUARTER 1936
CV-Zeitung 49 283
Juedische 32 747
Rundschau
Isr. 84 383
Familienblatt
Berliner 0 517
Gemeindeblatt
The first death notice in the Berliner Gemeindeblatt appeared in the issue dated February 17, 1934; eleven months later, such notices already occupied a full page. Announcements of engagements and marriages multiplied to a similar extent. The practice of informing business friends and other acquaintances, previously done by placing an announcement in the general press, had now shrunk to the Jewish sphere of contacts. Thus, the Jewish paper became the platform for reporting to a now contracted social world about the sad and happy events in one's family life.
There was also a gradual change in commercial advertising. In May 1933, but a month after the public 'boycott' of Jewish businesses ordered by the Nazi party on April 1st, there were ads by the large banks, the popular resorts, motion picture theaters and entertainment spots around town. The Berliner Gemeindeblatt carried an advertisement for a popular Berlin beer that read: 'The cool blond says: my name's Berlin White'; not long thereafter, Jews were officially forbidden from uttering the word 'blond' in public. In a performance of a comedy by Franz Molnar put on at the Berlin Kulturbund, the sentence 'Farewell, you unfaithful blond briefcase' had to be changed to 'beautiful briefcase' to please the censor 1 .
The columns of the Jewish press increasingly contained a new feature called the 'Commercial Directory,' a section in which retailers, wholesalers and factories introduced their wares and services, generally under the heading 'Jewish Community Members Can Supply You With.' The Association of Jewish Artisans also made its presence more felt in the Jewish press. In each issue, most of the Gemeinde periodicals published a list of members with their trade or profession and the services they offered readers. This attempt at creating a kind of economic 'autonomy' did not find favor with the Nazi party, as reflected in a letter dated November 19, 1934 from the NSDAP, district headquarters Berlin, addressed to the Reich Superintendent of Culture, Hans Hinkel:
After reading issue no. 10 of the second volume of the monthly Monatsblaetter des Kulturbundes deutscher Juden... it appears to me that the ads throughout the paper were of even greater importance. Special attention must be given to slogans tantamount to propaganda, such as: 'Jews, buy only from Jews.' ...In a situation where difficulties are now arising, and we are no longer to be permitted to carry out our actions because we might disturb the economic peace, it's an impossible state of affairs when, in contrast, it is perfectly all right for Jews to advertise for their own kind. We are no longer supposed to say: Germans, buy only from Germans, or Christians, buy only from Christians ΓÇô but the Hebrews are allowed to urge: Jews, buy only from Jews! 2
Only in one area did there seem to be something of a discrepancy between editorial policy and the advertisements section: while ads placed by moving and shipping companies and travel bureaus were on the increase, indicating a more rapid rate of emigration and a concomitant necessary reduction in readership, editors continued to expand the other sections of the paper. Now, almost larger paper had supplements or special sections on women, children, education, sports, books, the Kulturbund ΓÇô and, of course, on Palestine and emigration. Some periodicals even published serialized novels.
References:
1. Freeden 1964, p. 48.
2. Bulletin des Leo Baeck Instituts , 5 (1958), p. 18.
