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German History in Documents and Images
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Stew for the Winter Relief Organization at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin (1935)
One particularly effective propaganda tool was the regime’s state- and party-run welfare program, which aimed to underscore its professed commitment to equality and social welfare work. This is why the Winter Relief Organization [Winterhilfswerk or WHW], for example, fell under the purview of the propaganda ministry. The photo shows a WHW-organized community meal for the needy. NSDAP representatives were on hand to praise the people's newly awakened solidarity. This and other WHW activities were funded by so-called "Stew Sundays" [Eintopfsonntage] and other initiatives. The idea was that German families would eat a simple stew one Sunday a month and donate the money they saved to the Winter Relief Organization. The banner in the background reads: "Today Berlin eats its one-pot meal [Eintopfgericht]."