As part of their campaign of discrimination against the Jewish people, Nazis prohibited films and other art which was deemed “Jewish,” “Zionist” or which merely featured a Jewish actor. |
German officials have implemented measures to exclude art or films which were created by or with the contribution of Scientologists. |
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| “Due to demonstrations at the premiere of Catherine the Great in Berlin, the president of the Reich Film Chambers has banned this film which stars Jewish actor Elisabeth Bergner.”
— Fraenkische Tageszeitung (Fraenken Daily Paper)
March 10, 1934
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“We could put the film [Phenomenon, starring Scientologist John Travolta] on the index and prohibit it. I demand that the distributor reconsider putting the film on the market!”
— German Federal MP Renate Rennebach,
August 25, 1996
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“With the agreement of the City Administration, the student union has launched demonstrations and has succeeded in stopping any further showing of the movie Path to a Good Marriage as the movie contains ’badly disguised propaganda for the ideas of Van de Velde’.” (Hendrik van de Velde was a doctor whose books were banned by the Nazis in May 1933).
— Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung
(German General Newspaper) July 5, 1933
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“We are trying to prevent people from associating the success of Cruise with Scientology.... I got the idea after I saw the enthusiastic reception John Travolta received at the Berlin film festival, even though he openly admitted he is a Scientologist.” [Remmers called for a boycott of the Tom Cruise movie, Mission: Impossible.]
— Burkhard Remmers,
CDU Young Union
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“The attitude of the Minister of Propaganda Goebbels toward the film industry is known throughout the world. He has decreed that no film may be shown in Germany in the production of which a single Jew has been involved as director, stage-manager, actor, singer, dancer, scenario writer, composer, cutter, or sound director.”
— The Economic Destruction of German Jewry by the Nazi Regime 1933-1937
(published November 1937 by the American Jewish Congress)
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“The State is providing funds for the cultural program. In the course of preparing for the cultural program, we had discussions with Mr. [Chick] Corea that were broken off when it was discovered that he is a Scientologist.”
— Letter from Baden-Wuerttemberg
state government spokesman
July 2, 1993
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German Officials Respond:
Just like the Nazis before them, German officials brush off well-documented criticisms with denials and excuses. In the 1930s and 1940s, those in charge ridiculed anyone who uttered a warning from abroad.
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“American Jewry in particular is bent on creating a new platform from which it plans to step up its struggle, especially against Germany.”
— Reich Security Directive,
October 25, 1940
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“Scientology runs disinformation campaigns in which U.S. senators are involved and spreads them worldwide with shrewd press agentry.”
— Federal Minister of Labor,
Norbert Bluem, August 29, 1996
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