Trust No Fox...

Background: This is the first of three anti-Semitic children’s books published by Julius Streicher’s Stürmer Publishing House. They are among the nastier productions of the Third Reich. Around 100,000 copies were printed, and the book was used in many schools. The author, Elvira Bauer, was an 18-year-old art student.

The title is based on a phrase by Martin Luther, whose anti-Jewish remarks the Nazis were happy to use. Thanks to a suggestion from Professor Ken Gemes at Birkbeck, University of London, I’ve tried to track the quotation down, which proved more difficult than I expected. The first printed reference I can find to the exact wording is in the nefarious Antisemiten-Katechismus by Theodor Fritsch (1893). This was a book Streicher used often, and is surely where he got the phrase.

The closest I can find in Luther’s work comes from his Table Talk: “Gleube keinem Wolff auf wilder Heid, auch keinem Juden auff sein Eid,” which translates as: “Believe no wolf on his wild heath and no Jew on his oath.” The Table Talk is a record of what Luther said, taken down by others, so although its reasonable to believe Luther said it, it is not as convincing as something he wrote himself.

For more information on the Stürmer and its editor, see my book on Julius Streicher. I’m using an anonymous translation from the University of South Florida library, to which I’ve made some corrections.

The source: Elvira Bauer, Trau keinem Fuchs auf grüner Heid und keinem Jud auf seinem Eid (Nuremberg: Stürmer Verlag, 1936).

Trust No Fox on His Green Heath

And No Jew on His Oath

by Elvira Bauer

Fox book cover

The Cover

	The Father of the Jews is the Devil At the creation of the world The Lord God conceived the races: Red Indians, Negroes, and Chinese, And Jew, too, the rotten crew. And we were also on the scene: We Germans midst this motley medley- He gave them all a piece of earth To work with the sweat of their brow. But the Jew went on strike at once! For the devil rode him from the first. Cheating, not working, was his aim; For lying, he got first prize In less than no time from the Father of Lies. Then he wrote it in the Talmud. By the banks of Pharaoh’s Nile Pharaoh saw this folk, and said: “I’ll torment the lazy blighters, These people shall make bricks for me.” The Jew did this all wailing and whining, Never was there such cursing and swearing, With bent backs and over-big slippers. Even today we see them shambling With lip hanging down and great red noses And looking daggers, flashing hate. They owe Pharaoh thanks, Who trounced them soundly for their pranks. The Jews soon had enough of that! The Devil brought them to Germany. Like thieves they stole into our land Hoping to get the upper hand.
	But the Germans — they stand foursquare. Look, children, and the two compare, The German and the Jew. Take a good look at the two In the picture drawn for you. A joke — you think it is only that? Easy to guess which is which, I say: The German stands up, the Jew gives way. The German is a proud young man, Able to work and able to fight. Because he is a fine big chap, For danger does not care a rap, The Jew has always hated him! Here is the Jew, as all can see, Biggest ruffian in our country; He thinks himself the greatest beau And yet is the ugliest, you know!
	The Eternal Jew From the start the Jew has been A murderer, said Jesus Christ. And as Our Lord died on the cross God the Father knew no other race To torment His Son to death, He chose the Jews for this. That is why the Jews now claim To be the chosen people. When Christ the burden of the cross Too heavy found, He sought to rest One moment ‘gainst a door. But from the house a Jew came out Cursed Him and upbraided Him, Telling Him to move on further. For ‘twas a Jew that owned that house. It was the Jew Ahasuerus............. Since then that Jew has borne a curse. Two thousand years he has sought rest, That wretched Jew Ahasuerus, The curse has passed to all his race, Restless he wanders far and wide, One land to another. He has no home to call his own, The alien Jew, that scurvy knave. His nomad soul finds nowhere rest, Everywhere he’s just a pest. Four centuries have come and gone, Ahasuerus crops up everywhere Now in Hamburg, next Berlin, In Denmark and in Danzig too. Dresden, Paris have seen that Jew. Believe me, children, it is quite clear, Ahasuerus haunts us still Under the skin of every Jew. Now, children, keep a good look out Whenever you see a Jew about. The Jew creeps round, a regular fox, Keep your eyes open, or you’ll be on the rocks.
	Jewish Names So that the Jew you shan’t recognize His name turns up in other guise. Herr Nathan calls himself Jonathan, While Levin becomes Levinson. Abraham loses two of his “a’s’ And now his name reads simply Brahm-- Others are even more cunning still! They drop their foreign names at once And you will find high-sounding names, Bluehdorn and Siegenreich, And Veilchenblau and Loewenstein And Rosenstolz and Rosenhayn And Lindenstein and Blumenfeld. The Jew goes even further still-- He chooses names of animals. He calls himself Katz, Hirsch or Strauss. Others there are, who dub themselves Fischbein, Herz, and Mond and Stern, And Dreifuss, Block and Fels and Stein And Schloss and Grossmann and Klein, too. More modest still are those Jews Who call themselves by the name of Blum. The Rabbi, he is very wise: He calls himself Markus Ehrenpreis! And a Baron named Rothschild Even calls his daughter Kriemhild.
	Once a Jew, always a Jew Jew Itzig had a brainwave: “I know what, I’ll be baptized.” These stupid folk will surely say: “Look, there goes a Christian man.” Itzig Iphraim one fine day Called on the local village priest, Asked to be sprinkled from the font. The priest was all agog to please him. “Hear my words, Jew Iphraim,” he said, “Thee I baptize: Gotthilf Joachim Fridericus Christian Itzig. Now hear what I say: Once a Jew, now a Christian you are, And obedience is required of you. Promise never to forget To eat no meat on Friday, For that would be a sin Hardly to be pardoned!” When next Friday he came to see Our Itzig in great glee Was making short work of a goose. “Itzig, my man, what does that mean?” Cries reverend father in furious spleen. “You ought to know that on your plate There should be no meat today! Strict penance you must pay for this!” The sinner said: “ei waich ei waich! Why make such trouble all at once? What you upon my plate do see, It is no goose: It’s just a fish! I bought myself a goosie-gander, Bethought myself to christen it!” On this fried morsel I pronounced: “You were a goose, now you are a fish!” Now children, on the other page The Jew you’ll see. Can you believe Since baptism he’s really changed Five pails of water o’er his head Makes no changes in his heart. One thing always keep in view, Once a Jew, always a Jew!!
	The Cattle Jew Most revolting in a Jew Is his peculiar greed for gold. Always with him is first in mind By hook or crook a deal to find. There was once a Jew called Kohn With 100,000 talers all his own From cutting offers to the bone. Greed of gold had sullied his soul. Came a farmer in greatest need, Cows and pigs he offered the Jew For 120 Gulden new To free himself from binding debt. The Jew, however, was not ashamed To pay him half the price he named. Away went cattle with grinning Jew, The farmer was heartbroken, too. Misfortune dogs him more and more; In Jewish hands there’s death in store. So listen, you people, wherever you are: “Don’t trust a fox on the greensward And never a Jew on his plighted word!”
	The Sabbath Jew Ikey comes on Friday home. A perfect gentleman he seems; A week of swindling stupid “goys” And telling lies bring Sabbath joys. He rattles with his money bag, Cries: “Becky, woman, look at that!” Then he takes his roll of prayer And then he mumbles to and fro Yiddish praises to Jehovah. (Oh boy! What fun!) Along he goes to water tap For Sabbath joys demand a wash. But there he does not scrape too hard; The rest can stay for years and years. Now see him when the Sabbath comes, Resplendent in a tall top-hat! Velvet and silk adorn her form, For that is quite her special taste! On Sabbath he won’t move a finger; The stupid “goy” does all the work! And even to put out the light He calls the “goy” to do the job. Did you know that, my dear friends?
	Folks, look at this rare twister, too. It is old Aaron Kahn, the Jew. Owner of a store is he. And all his precious merchandise Is sold by means of rotten lies. Just rubbish worked off on dumb goys. Aaron Kahn has a purse quite full. He’s emptied that of many a fool. These suckers come most willingly To spend their money at his store. But when a hungry man appears And begs for bread with melting tears, Look at the picture over there And see a Jewish sould laid bare. So listen folks, wherever you are: “Don’t trust a fox on the greensward, And never a Jew on his plighted word!”
	Here Isaac Blumenfeld we see; As butcher he makes good money. But take a closer look, look closely, A rogue this Yid is mostly. Isaac sells you meat ‘Tis said, But he gives you filth instead. See that piece upon the floor, Another the cat has in its paw. The Jewish butcher never fails; Dirty meat weighs more in the scales. And — please just keep this in your mind He does not eat it, nor his kind. Only Jews, to their dire shame, Could play you such a dirty game! So listen, you folk, wherever you are: “Don’t trust a fox on the greensward, And never a Jew on his plighted word!”
	The Jewish Lawyer Just as children have their fights, Grown-ups have their quarrels, too. Parents judge in children’s squabbles, Judges settle grown-ups’ disputes. A good lawyer must before the judge Lay bare all the details of the case When the trial once begins. The lawyer gets his money. So it is in the whole wide world... Our farmer Michael goes to town. He’s got a date with the sharp attorney. See him in the sketch I’ve drawn, With handsome wife in fine attire. Next them the lawyer may be seen, He’s looking very poor and mean. Just now his trade is very slack, From farmer Michael he expects a whack! To the farmer he makes a plea: “Dear rich Michael be kind to me. Couldn’t you bring me butter, wine, Flour and eggs? That would be fine! Just give me time with this tricky suit; We’ll win the case and money to boot!” Here’s good prospect, I surmise, But all he said was a pack of lies. The peasant folk from Dummelsbrumm Believe it all: they are so dumb! They bring him every kind of food. And, Boy! that lawyer’s feeling good. The end is sad to this long tale: The farmer had to go to court, So long the Jewish lawyer fought, Primed with the farmers butter and eggs. Now round and plump and plump and round, Jew lawyer weighs 240 pound. Only when there was nothing left Did, strangely enough, the trial end. The farmer, true, had won the case; Now he wonders with long face Who his goods and money took. They were stolen all by the Jewish crook.
	The Servant Girl Rosy leaves the countryside. Up to town, there to bide: She wants to earn a living there. And so she buys a newspaper; Looking its advertising through. She finds a post with Katz, the Jew. Three bouncing daughters has this Yid; His wife, Oh My! is sure no kid. All four are idle lazybones, Doing nothing all day long. “So Rosy cleans and sweeps and cooks, For such is shame and not a blessing,” Says Jewish master, “in our station.” German girls from the country, He takes and treats them properly As understood in Jewish fancy. Look at Rosy from the country! Working hard like any slavey. Yet they drive her harder still: She lives a live, a dog would kill. Her plight is worse than many a beast; The Jew should pay her well, at least. “To the Christian you may give Carrion meat, that he may live. But you yourself must ne’er forget, That by a Jew it’s never ate. For Holy is the Jew. The Talmud says it, too.”
	What a creature is the Jew. Not even his own women he likes. To share himself a German wife He thinks just cute. You bet your life! Look at Jew and girl right here: ‘Tis sure he can’t be thought her peer! Compare him with this German Frau. He cuts a pitiable figure now! I would the Jew had sense to own He’d best leave German girls alone. Try his own “kalle” instead.
	The father says to his daughter dear: “You cause me great distress, I fear! The blood of all of us is pure, But for the sake of selfish gain For fine dresses and money, too, You’re always with Sol Rosenfeld, the Jew, Thinking maybe to become his wife! This means no good. I won’t have it, d’ye hear? A dachshund is never put between the shafts Of a wagon where a cow belongs! That’s just impossible, I say. So mark my words for once and all: ‘Don’t trust a fox on the greensward And never a Jew on his plighted word!’”
	The Jewish Doctor A Jew once lay at point of death So sent at once for Dr. Wehdir (or “woe to thee”) To save his life at once, For death was his great dread. So when the Jewish doctor comes, He cries: “Death lies in wait for me! Please, oh please, drive him away; Prescribed the proper medicine!” Since none but he this secret knows, Doctor Wehdir, full of spunk, Runs to a German hospital And tries it out on patients there. When three have died of its effects, The health of many more been ruined, No Jew risks taking it!— For fear ’twould mean his death — Doctor Wehdir won’t despair Till the bane’s on others tried. When the stuff all tests has passed Safely, to the Jew it’s given at last. Thus Dr. Wehdir makes sure as well That one more Jew is saved from Hell. If on “goys” twas tried at first For Christians that is none the worse. This is the moral of this story true: Never trust Jewish Doctors, You! “The Christian (Akum) is really like a dog, So it’s our job to do him in. Love only Jews.” Even so is it written in the Book of Laws.
	Other tricks performs the Jew, Inspired by his Satanic blood. Urged on by just this meanness. He’s fooled the lot of us Germans, But he shan’t do that any more. A valiant man stood up for us, Hailing from Germany’s heart, Franconia. To him we owe our deepest thanks That German stock remains so sound. The Jews in turn he’s taught a lesson, The value of a healthy folk. He’s let them feel the German spirit Twixt Jew and us he’s shown the difference. That is Streicher!!
	He’s had the “Stuermer” printed; That’s why all Jews detest our Streicher. My, don’t they make an uproar! To Streicher it is all the same. He’s fought his way for many a year. All round the world he is renowned. The newspaper in America, It writes of him from time to time. The Jewish hate and Jewish pest Is shouted abroad both East and West, Throughout the whole wide world. It’s no wonder the Jews start trembling!
	“We do not buy from Jewish shops!” Says the mother to the child. “ ‘Tis only German goods we buy; Remember that, my darling.” German women should only buy What’s been made by German hands, By German industry and strength. That’s why we only go To those stores with German goods, Here also we save more, For their wares are cheap and good. From Jews you get bad value! Hence take note of mother’s words, Be sure you never buy from Jews.
	It’s going to be fine in the schools at last, For all the Jews must leave. For big and small it’s all alike. Anger and rage do not avail Nor utmost Jewish whine nor wail. Away with all the Jewish breed. ‘Tis the German teacher we desire. Now he leads the way to cleverness, Wanders and plays with us, but yet Keeps us children in good order. He makes jokes with us and laughs So going to school is quite a joy.
	In our far-flung Fatherland Many a bit of earth is famous For its beauty and its strength The wealth of health bestows. That’s why it’s so frequented By people from far and near. As on this picture may be seen A notice-board is erected here, Telling for all the world to know Here Jews are not wanted. The German is the owner here, So, friend Yid, best disappear!
	The Führer’s Youth The boys who are true Germans To Hitler’s Youth belong. They want to live for their Führer, Their eyes are fixed on the future. Bigger and stronger they have become. The German heritage is theirs. The great and sacred Fatherland Stands today as it ever stood. From this picture may be seen, Hitler Youth in splendid mien, From smallest to the biggest boy. All are husky, tough, and strong. They love their German Führer And God in Heaven they fear. But the Jews they must despise! They’re not like these boys, So Jews must just give way!
	In far-off South is the country Which cradled Jewish ancestry. Let them go back there with wife and child As quickly as they came! — What a disgusting picture Is shown by these Jews, so dirty and wild: Abraham, Solomon, Blumenfeld, Levinson, Rebecca with little Jonathan, Then Simon and also Aaron Kahn. How they roll their eyes As they march along................... (On the signpost: “One-way road. Hurry, Hurry. The Jews are our misfortune.”)
	A picture of the 18-year-old Elvira Bauer from Der Stürmer.