Jewish Leader Quits Over His Defense of Kristallnacht Speech
A Jewish leader who defended last week’s controversial Kristallnacht speech by the president of Parliament quit today after being strongly criticized by other Jews, officials said.
Michael Fuerst, deputy chairman of the National Jewish Council, had been harshly criticized for comments he made after Thursday’s speech of then-Parliament President Philipp Jenninger, who resigned Friday.
Jenninger reminded his audience that many Germans initially welcomed Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and recalled that many people thought the Jews deserved being “put back in their place.”
Hours later, Fuerst told a nationally televised panel discussion: “I welcome the fact that the Parliament president described in full clarity what was happening in Germany between 1933 and 1938.”
Fuerst today acknowledged a majority of West German Jews disagreed with his remarks.
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