The cat won't stop catching mice Word of the Week Antisemitic Nazi propaganda poster declaring that Jews are the enemy of the German people

German propaganda poster issued during the week of July 1 to July 7, 1942, from the Parole der Woche (Word of the Week) series. The slogan in the title is an idiomatic phrase similar in meaning to the English saying "a leopard can't change its spots." The yellow background color is a similar shade as the Star of David badges Jews were forced to wear in Germany and German-occupied nations. This poster calls Jews enemies of the people and claims that Joseph Hertz, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, declared that Jews were committing crimes against England’s war economy. The poster then accuses Jews of pushing nations into wars, and profiting from them at their nation’s expense. These new antisemitic stereotypes were proliferated in a defeated Germany after World War I (1914-1918). At the end of the war, the German public was unaware of the country’s faltering position and many believed Germany was winning. After surrender, it was said that the war was started and sabotaged by Jews with the goals of enriching themselves and creating a political climate more susceptible to Jewish control. These myths were seized- upon and distributed widely in Nazi ideology and propaganda, and used as a justification for Jewish persecution. The Nazis used propaganda to buttress public support for the war effort, shape public opinion, and reinforce antisemitic ideas. As part of their propaganda campaign, the Nazis created the Word of the Week Series of posters (also referred to as Wandzeitung, or wall newspapers), which began distribution on March 16, 1936. Each week, new posters were placed in public places and businesses to be viewed by as many people as possible. Posters were the primary medium for the series, but smaller pamphlets were also produced, which could be plastered on the back of correspondences. The posters targeted the Nazis’ early political adversaries, Jews, Communists, and Germany’s enemies during the war. The series was discontinued in 1943.