36 Saly Mayer

“closed or not closed?” Saly Mayer and the events at the border
St. Gall - Buchs, July – August 1938

The office of Saly Mayer, president of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, keeps a special journal regarding “Events at the Border” this summer:

July 17-22: Vaduz, Schaan, Buchs, Basel, Zurich. Discussions about the financial implications of refugee aid.

End of July: Expulsion of the Jews, particularly from Vienna. ...

July 28: Dr. Rothmund tasks S.M. with investigating the occurrences in Vaduz, Buchs, etc., while governing council member Ludwig as deputy of governing council member Brechbühl, Basel, has reported about numerous refugees staying in Basel.

July 29: Talk with governing council member Keel at the behest of Dr. Rothmund, report regarding fact finding in Buchs. ...

July 30: Urgent phone call Dr. Rothmund to S. M. to go to Basel regarding accumulation of refugees here.

July 31/Aug. 1: Basel: meeting with refugee relief and Merz, head of the Cantonal Migration Authority. ...

Aug. 3: Basel: establishment of the refugee hostel on Schützengraben. ...

Aug. 6-7: Consultation with governing council member Keel about detention in order to curb expenses.

Aug. 8: Basel reports about currently ca. 350 refugees here.         
League of Jewish Women regarding vacationing children.
Report from Basel that any further transports have to cease and new arrivals must be caught at the border in Eastern Switzerland.

Aug. 9: Phone call with Gabathuler, Buchs. Inquiry whether border actually closed or not.

Aug. 10: Meeting with executive committee & federation in Zurich (...)
According to telephone conversation, governing council member Keel has instructed Police Captain Grüninger regarding mass accommodation, Engelburg, etc. Question of absorption of setup costs. S.M. orders not do anything since this needs to be done on the cantonal level. Ph 26761 to Richter, head of the Cantonal Migration Authority, who declares that he has nothing to do at all with this issue.

Aug. 11: Teleph. Gabathuler, Buchs, that further entries have to be stopped by all means. G.{Grüninger} explains that this was impossible regarding illegal entries. Telephone call with Zurich regarding nine individuals in Feldkirch. Decision not to take them, but to deal only with those already in Switzerland.

Aug. 12: Refugee bureau St. Gall, report on accommodation in youth hostel and accommodation in larger numbers in Schönengrund. Teleph. 23823 Councilor Keel. Report: Nothing new yet. Inquiry about youth hostel on the Landmark (Ruppen).

Aug. 13-14: Captain Grüninger reports about accommodation in Diepoldsau. Costs Fr. 150,- per month. Meeting with St. Gall Committee. Consul Brodollier (sic), Bregenz, reports that 50 refugees are in Bregenz. Grüninger remains reserved. Zurich reports none to be sent to Zurich. Agrees to internment.

Aug. 15: teleph. 23823 regarding cantonment, 80 new arrivées. Grüninger about cantonment in the Rhine Valley. Dr. Rothmund telephones that he expects S.M. and Silv.(ain) Guggenheim on Aug. 16 for a conference in Bern. Refugee Aid Basel reports that the authorities intend internment.[1]

Recommended reading:

Hanna Zweig-Strauss, Saly Mayer (1882-1950): A saviour of Jewish life during the Holocaust. Cologne/Weimar/Vienna 2007.

Journal of the border events, July to November 1938

Archives of Contemporary History, Zurich