Joseph Goebbels, Minister for Propaganda and Enlightenment in Nazi Germany, made clear in numerous public speeches his thoughts on the Jews and the ‘Jewish Problem’. In his views he was not far removed from Hitler as was best seen after Kristallnacht – the Night of the Broken Glass. Goebbels made it clear to those present at a meeting immediately following Kristallnacht – Reinhard Heydrich and Hermann Goering – what should happen to the Jews.
“I am of the opinion that this is our chance to dissolve the synagogues. All those not completely intact shall be razed by the Jews. The Jews shall pay for it. There in Berlin, the Jews are ready to do that. The synagogues that were burned in Berlin are being levelled by the Jews themselves. We shall build parking lots in their place or new buildings. That ought to be the criterion for the whole country, the Jews shall have to remove the damaged or burned synagogues, and shall have to provide us with ready free space.
I deem it necessary to issue a decree forbidding the Jews to enter German theatres, movie houses and circuses. Have already issued such a decree under the authority of the law of the Chamber for Culture. Considering the present situation of the theatres, I believe we can afford that. Our theatres are overcrowded, we have hardly any room. I am of the opinion that it is not possible to have Jews sitting next to Germans in varieties, movies and theatres. One might consider, later on, to let the Jews have one or two movies houses here in Berlin, where they may see Jewish movies. But in German theatres they have no business anymore. Furthermore, I advocate that the Jews be eliminated from all positions in public life in which they may prove to be provocative. It is still possible today that a Jew shares a compartment in a sleeping car with a German. Therefore, we need a decree by the Reich Ministry for Communications stating that separate compartments for Jews shall be available. In cases where the compartments are filled up, Jews cannot claim a seat. They shall not mix with Germans, and if there is no more room, they shall have to stand in the corridor.
Furthermore, there ought to be a decree barring Jews from German beaches and resorts. It’ll also have to be considered if it might not become necessary to forbid the Jews to enter the German forest. In the Grunewald, whole herds of them are running around. It is a constant provocation and we are having incidents all the time. The behaviour of the Jews is so inciting and provocative that brawls are a daily routine. “
With such views it is easy to understand that it was Goebbel’s ministry that was responsible for the film “The Eternal Jew”.