Bernheim petition
The Bernheim petition was a petition made by Franz Bernheim, to the League of Nations in 1933. His petition opposed the Nazi anti-Jewish laws.[1] Bernheim (a Jewish resident of Gleiwitz, German Upper Silesia) had been dismissed from his job as a manager at Gleiwitz Deutsches Familien-Kaufhaus in April 1933 due to those Nazi anti-Jewish laws.[1]
Basis
The petition was made based on the 1922 German–Polish Accord on East Silesia. It included provisions for the protection of minority rights and the set-up of a mixed German-Polish Commission for Upper Silesia.[1]
Content
The petition dealt with not only Bernheim's dismissal but also racism in Upper Silesia as a whole, quoting the provisions for firing "non-Aryan" public employees, notaries, lawyers, teachers, and medical professionals.[1]
Aftermath
The petition was accepted by the League. It led to compensations for Bernheim, but also to the cancellation of most racial provisions of the laws in Upper Silesia. However, when article 147 of the accord on East Silesia expired on July 15, 1937, racial provisions in German laws were applied in Upper Silesia as well.[1]
