Language:
French
Year of publication:
2004
Titel der Quelle:
Bulletin Trimestriel de la Fondation Auschwitz
Angaben zur Quelle:
82 (2004) 111-134
Keywords:
Huysmans, Camille,
Abstract:
Sketches the lifelong attachment of Huysmans (1871-1965) to the Jewish people. As Secretary of the Socialist International between 1905-22, he embraced Zionism, worked to include Socialist Zionists and Poalei-Zion, and opposed socialist antisemitism. Pp. 122-129 describe antisemitism in Antwerp in the 1930s indirectly, by relating attacks against Huysmans, then mayor of the city, in the virulently antisemitic paper "Volksverwering", established in 1937. Its goal was to defend the race and soil from Jewish infiltration. It attempted to introduce antisemitism into the socialist movement, whip up fear of Jews in various social circles, and encourage xenophobia to keep out Jewish refugees, supposedly attracted to Antwerp by Huysmans' friendly attitude. Huysmans forbade antisemitic signs and propaganda in the city. In January 1940 he tried to convince Antwerp's 55,000 Jews to flee to England, but his advice was not heeded. In 1947, as Minister of Education, he was instrumental in securing Belgian support at the UN for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.
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