Commemorative Postcard of 450th Anniversary of Birth of Martin Luther

Authors

Object ID

2019.2.208

Object Name

Postcard

Date

1933

Files

Content Warning

The Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection consists of images, documents, and artifacts related to the Holocaust. The collection contains materials that depict a number of topics that may be difficult for viewers to engage with, including: antisemitic descriptions, caricatures, and representation of Jewish people; Nazi imagery and ideology; descriptions and images of German ghettos; graphic images of the violence of the Holocaust; and the creation of the State of Israel. For more information, see our policy page.

Description

Postcard with black postage in top right corner, marked “Postkarte” in black ink, image of Martin Luther on left side.

Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Luther was a Christian theologian and monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation. He also penned several screeds against Jews. When his early attempts to convert them to Christianity failed, he became more angry and advocated measures including burning their synagogues, destroying prayer books, seizing their money and property and destroying their homes: even going so far as to imitate murdering them. His 20th century fans included Heinrich Himmler, Julius Streicher, and of course, Adolf Hitler. Protestant churches in 1941 thought that Jews wearing the yellow badge was a good idea. Bishop Martin Sasse applauded the burning of synagogues on Kristallnacht. Luther’s animosity toward Jews was, strictly speaking, religious in nature.

Dimensions

4 x 6"

Keywords

Martin Luther, Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Hitler, Julius Streicher

Subcollection

Philatelic

Recommended Citation

"Commemorative Postcard of 450th Anniversary of Birth of Martin Luther" (1933). Bulmash Family Holocaust Collection. 2019.2.208.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/1536