Strange Catholic Bishop Word of the Week Nazi propaganda poster denouncing the United States for criticizing Germany's Jewish policies

Identifier
irn3759
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1990.333.47
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 33.500 inches (85.09 cm) | Width: 49.250 inches (125.095 cm)

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Stephen Donahue (1893-1982) was born to Thomas and Dorothy Rentz Donahue in New York, N.Y. He attended seminary in New York, and was then awarded a scholarship to the North American College in Rome, Italy. He studied in Rome for five years, and was ordained as a Catholic priest on My 22, 1918. Donahue returned to New York and was an instructor at Cathedral College. In 1921, he became secretary to Cardinal Hayes, and in 1924, he was appointed Monsignor. On May 1, 1934, Donahue was consecrated as a Bishop. After his consecration, Donahue was one of several American Catholic religious leaders to protest Nazi persecution of German Jews and other individuals. He spoke at several anti-Nazi rallies in New York City, and served on the National Catholic Welfare Conference. The Conference worked through the Committee for Catholic Refugees from Germany to help persecuted Catholics escape Nazi Germany.

Archival History

The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection

Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Scope and Content

German propaganda poster, likely issued the week of January 19 to January 25, 1939, from the Parole der Woche (Word of the Week) series. This poster depicts a picture of Bishop Stephan Donahue, an auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Donahue was one of several American religious leaders to openly rebuke the Nazis for their persecution of Jews and other groups. The German text criticizes the United States for its discrimination against African and Asian Americans, and implies that Donahue is a hypocrite for not rebuking these policies as well. The text also reminds the reader of the antisemitic myth of Jewish deicide, the belief that Jews are collectively responsible for Christ’s death, and implies that the views of Donahue and the American Catholic leaders may be influenced by Jews. The relationship between the Nazi party and religion was complex. Initially, the Party was not openly hostile to the Protestant and Catholic Churches; however, the Party believed that Christianity and Nazism were ideologically incompatible. The Nazi government signed a Concordat with the Vatican, stating it would recognize the Nazi regime, which would in turn would not interfere in the Catholic Church. However, the Concordat was broken by the Nazis with the passage of anti-religious policies to undermine the church’s influence in 1935. The first Word of the Week Series of posters (also referred to as Wandzeitung, or wall newspapers), were distributed on March 16, 1936. The series used colorful, often derogatory caricatures, and photorealistic images with vibrant language to target political adversaries, Jews, Communists, and Germany’s enemies during the war. The series was discontinued in 1943.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Poster printed on off-white paper and adhered to a white, linen backing. The poster has a centered, black-and-white photographic image of a man facing forward while standing with his arms at his sides. He holds a fedora in his left hand, and a book in the right. The man wears a clerical collar around his neck, and a black, knee-length coat with black pants. Four lines of large, red German text in a cursive-style font are overlaid across the image. Flanking the image are two columns of orange-colored, German text in Fraktur font, printed on a black background. In the bottom left corner of the right column is a small circular logo of orange text. The paper is creased where it was previously folded and has several pin holes along the sides. The margins are discolored with small tears and losses along the left side.

People

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.