The September meeting of the Society was addressed by Mr. Charles Cohen who presented his lecture on "Hitler's War against the Jews". Charles. who is a past Chairman of the Society, is very prominent in the affairs of the South African Yad Vashem Memorial Foundation, the primary function of which is to perpetuate the memory of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust.

Charles stated that it is his belief that the destruction of the Jews was central to Hitler's policies. Already, in 1904, at the age of fifteen, Hitler was a strong antiSemite. His time in Vienna only served to further reinforce his hatred of the Jews. The Germans considered various solutions to the "Jewish Question" during the 1930s, but, by 1939 Hitler was saying "We are going to destroy the Jews". The infamous "Nurenburg Laws", promulgated in September 1935, isolated the Jews from the remainder of German society. These laws prohibited marriages and extramarital intercourse between Jews and other Germans. In addition, Jews were not permitted to employ German females under 45 years of age.

The enormity of the horror of the death camps is difficult to comprehend - two thirds of the Jewish population of Europe was wiped out. In Poland and the Baltic States ninety percent of the Jewish population died.

After an extremely active question time Mr. Will Carr proposed an appreciative vote of thanks for this very interesting lecture.

The meeting opened with the viewing of the first part of a video of the 125th Anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Tour to Heidelberg - Sunday 15th October 1989

The visit to Heidelberg, under the leadership of Ian Uys, will be on the basis of members and friends providing their own transport and refreshments for the day. Copies of Ian Uys's book "Heidelbergers of the Boer War" will be available at R20 each (incl) on a "special" for any members interested. The programme is as follows:

09h30 Meet at Nigel turnoff from N3 opposite Heidelberg (R42 offramp.) Proceed to new cemetary(sic). Introductory talks by Ian Uys and Nick Kinsey.

10h15 Visit S.A. Corps of Signals Museum - talk by Mrs. Lynn Fordred, the curatrix. Toilets available.

11h00 Visit St Ninian's Church, old Jailhouse and view buildings of historical interest. Talk by Nick Kinsey.

12h30 Visit Transport Museum at old Heidelberg Station. Own lunches here. Toilets available. Talks by the Mayor, Clr. Erns du Preez, and Mr. Pretorius, the caretaker.

14h30 Visit Kloof Cemetary. Talks by Ian Uys and Nick Kinsey on soldiers and people buried there.

15h30 Proceed to Heidelberg Kloof Resort for afternoon refreshments. Toilet facilities available.

16h30 Depart for home.

Future Meetings

Johannesburg - October 12th - Capt. J.H.A. Speir - "Midget Submarine Warfare".
The second part of the video of the 125th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg will also be shown.

- November 9th - Mr. John Morrison - "Arnhem: A Glider Pilot Remembers".

Durban - November 9th - Mr. Vic Conrad - "The October Russian Revolution, 1917".

The Johannesburg Meetings take place in the J.C. Lemmer Auditorium, S.A. National Museum of Military History, Saxonwold, Johannesburg at 20h00.

STEWART STILES