Awake!, “Jehovah's Witnesses—Courageous in the Face of Nazi Peril”
“Having mentioned money, the “Declaration” went on to denounce unfair practices of big business. It said: “It has been the commercial Jews of the British-American empire that have built up and carried on Big Business as a means of exploiting and oppressing the peoples of many nations.” This statement clearly did not refer to the Jewish people in general, and it is regrettable if it has been misunderstood and has given cause for any offense.”
The organisation’s published answer to criticism of the Declaration, signed “BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN GERMANY”. The article says that Rutherford, “together with the Germany branch office manager, Paul Balzereit, decided to mount a campaign to inform Chancellor Hitler, government officials, and the public that Jehovah’s Witnesses posed no threat to the German people and the State”, and that allegations that the Witnesses tried to curry favour with the regime or endorsed its racial ideology “are absolutely false”.
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Provenance and verification note for Awake!, Jehovah's Witnesses—Courageous in the Face of Nazi Peril
Confidence note. Full article opened on the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026 and read in full; the passage quoted begins on p. 13 and finishes on p. 14, the pages taken from the pageNum markers. The article itself runs pp. 10-14.
Notes. The article carries a footnote saying that space does not allow full documentation but that “a list of complete references is available upon request from the publishers”.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-de33-g98-nazi-peril