'The Eternal Jew' premieres in Berlin

28th November 1940: A Nazi sponsored 'documentary' seeks to build anti-Semitism in the German population

The cinematic poster for the ‘Der Ewige Jude’, The Eternal Jew, the crude Nazi propaganda film.

The Nazi propaganda film “The Eternal Jew”, purporting to be a documentary, was given its public premiere on 28th November 1940. It was all part of the continuing process of desensitising the general population of Germany to the growing persecution of the Jews. Later, the film would be distributed in the occupied countries. The message was presented very crudely, as can be imagined from the poster.

Notoriously, “The Eternal Jew” juxtaposed footage of rats with scenes of Jewish life. This was just a graphic example of how the Nazis sought to portray the Jews as vermin or a type of infection. Having created this association, it was a small step to suggest that they needed to be eradicated. They had created a problem that needed a ‘solution’.