In January 1935, a Gelsenkirchen young high-school student named Erna Listing submitted this essay, ‘The Jews are our misfortune’, to the anti-Semitic newspaper Der Sturmer. Extract reproduced with the permission of the German Propaganda Archive.

“Unfortunately, many people today still say, “God created the Jews too. That is why you must respect them also.” We say, however, “Vermin are also animals, but we still destroy them”.

The Jew is a half-caste. He has inherited characteristics of Aryans, Asiatics, Negroes and Mongols. In a half-caste, the worst characteristics predominate. The only good thing about him is his white colour.

The South Sea Islanders have a proverb that goes: “God made the white man and God made the black man. But the devil made the half-caste.” Jesus once said to them: “God is not your father, but the devil.”

The Jews have a wicked book of laws. It is called the Talmud. The Jews look on us as animals as well and treat us accordingly. They use cunning tricks to take away our wealth.

The Jews ruled in the court of Karl of Franconia. That is why Roman law was introduced. This did not suit the German peasants: it was not a law for the Roman townsman-farmers either, but a Jewish merchant law. The Jews are also certainly guilty of the murder of Karl of Franconia.

In Gelsenkirchen, the Jew Grueneberg sold us rotten meat. His book of laws allows him to do that.

The Jews have plotted revolts and incited war. They have led Russia into misery. In Germany, they gave the Communist Party money and paid their thugs. We were at death’s door. Then Adolf Hitler came.

Now the Jews are abroad and stir up trouble against us. But we do not waver and we follow the Fuhrer. We do not buy anything from the Jew. Every penny we give them kills one of our own people.”

Heil Hitler!

Erna Listing