Language:
German
Year of publication:
2014
Titel der Quelle:
Judaica; Beiträge zum Verstehen des Judentums
Angaben zur Quelle:
70,4 (2014) 399-413
Keywords:
Keller, Adolf,
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Rescue
;
Jewish refugees
Abstract:
Traces Swiss Evangelical theologian Adolf Keller's contribution in 1933-40 to the rescue of German refugees, mainly through the Europäische Zentralstelle für kirchliche Hilfsaktionen (Swiss Inter-Church Aid), an organization founded by him in 1922. Most of refugees seeking help were baptized Jews. By the end of 1934, 60 refugees had turned to Keller, who sought financial aid from American and Swiss churches, albeit in vain. By 1936, the number of needy refugees had risen to 600. Keller turned for support to the Swiss government, also asking it to grant work permits for German refugees, but his request was turned down. By the end of 1937, 1,600 refugees had sought help from Swiss Inter-Church Aid. As the founder in 1938 of Schweizerische Kirchliche Hilfskomitee für Evangelische Flüchtlinge (SKHEF), an organization coordinating Christian charity in Switzerland, Keller sought to extend its mandate to cover all Jews, not just baptized Jews. He also protested publicly against Nazi antisemitism. A trip to the U.S. in spring 1940 made it clear to him how difficult it was to raise Christian funds for Jewish refugees. Accounts of the Jews' distress were not taken seriously, and sometimes the Jews were viewed as representing the German enemy. Whatever funds Keller was able to raise were channeled to Jews in French internment camps in southern France.
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