“Dear Stürmer”: Practising the Antisemitic Gaze
The Nazi tabloid Der Stürmer encouraged a lively exchange with its audience. For example, in the issue of 4 January 1937, the editors invited all its readers to actively participate, regardless of gender or age, by drawing and submitting their own antisemitic cartoons. The original drawings by “Fips” were to be the model. Talented readers could even hope for their submitted drawings to be published in future editions.
The title reads: “A Visual Guide: The Jew”
Der Stürmer did actually receive hundreds of letters every day, including the usual newspaper correspondence such as press inquiries, letters from readers, etc. The mailbag also contained caricatures and drawings, including this collage by an apprentice in Dortmund.
More details on the functioning and strategies of antisemitic caricatures can be found in the section on “Caricatures and the Occupation of Public Space”.
The drawings submitted to Der Stürmer came from a broad cross section of its readership, including children and teenagers. As a result, the artistic quality was often rather mediocre. This caricature from the pen of Hans Weber, a Hitler Youth member living in Dortmund, supposedly shows two of the city’s Jewish residents, Max Schönfeld and his son Erwin. It was probably part of a local harassment campaign against the Schönfeld family. Der Stürmer often publicized and supported such campaigns in its pages. On 11 August 1935, Erwin Schönfeld and his aunt moved to Nuremberg in order to escape the violent harassment. In 1942, the entire family was deported to Riga, where they were murdered.
Ludwig Gelder was a thirteen-year-old in Berlin when he submitted this drawing to Der Stürmer. While it does imitate the style of “Fips”, the figure’s isolation and artistic simplicity means it cannot be immediately recognized as being antisemitic in nature. However, its intent is entirely confirmed by its accompanying text, which reads: “Am I not a beautiful Jew?” Here, the idiosyncratic spelling supposedly reflects a “Yiddish accent”, which is an important stylistic device of antisemitic propaganda that is also seen in other caricatures.
It was in March 1943 that Ulf Schmidt, a fourth-grader from the Silesian town of Kalisch (today Kalisz, Poland), sent in this caricature to Der Stürmer. It copies the style of “Fips” down to the smallest detail, and incorporates all the most important elements of his antisemitic characterizations. The caption’s wording reflects antisemitic stereotypes about “Jewish dialects”. It also asserts that Jews are given to excessive gesticulations when speaking.
This caricature by Sergeant Willy Miech is artistically much more sophisticated than many other drawings submitted to Der Stürmer. Not only does it show a scene he came up with himself, it also features his own personal artistic style. Its dialogue relies on the stereotype of the money-grubbing Jew, one who is also enriching himself at the expense of the army. The stereotypes of excessive gesticulation and the “Jewish dialect” and are also included here.
The cartoon reads: “The Jewish Army: In the Infirmary.
If you don’t take your medicine, you’ll lay sick in bed a long time!
I’m saving the pills so that I can open a pharmacy after the war.”