Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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punishment for Jews. 44 This very same ban occurred again on 10 April 1937 and
remained effective until 10 June 1937. 45 However, on this occasion the stated
reason was that local Jewish organisations had conspired with international Jewry
and foreign ‘assimilatory’ Jewish organisations in a propaganda campaign against
Germany. Jewish sporting organisations were also included in the ban. 46 However,
in both instances religious and ‘cultural’ gatherings were exempted.
In the pursuit of effective surveillance of all matters Jewish, in January 1937
the director of Magdeburg’s State Archive, Dr Möllenberg, ordered a complete
inventory of archival material on the history of the Jews in the city to be
completed and submitted by 1 March 1937. 47 This was duly completed and proved
to be an extensive collection. It also included references to name changes
registered with the Magdeburg State Police. These name changes were referred to
as the falsification of names and the intimation in the memorandum was that Jews
were changing their names owing to criminal activity and/or to avoid criminal
prosecution. 48 This instance displays the extent of the vilification of the Jews.
Name changes were not uncommon, yet the purported reason for Jews changing
their names could only have been owing to their criminal behaviour, according to
the Nazis.
44 Betrifft: Verbot jüdischer Versammlungen und Veranstaltungen, 21. Dezember
1936, Bestand Rep. C 20 I. I b, Signatur Nr. 119, LHASA MD, op. cit., p. 315.
45 Betrifft: Verbot jüdischer Versammlungen und Veranstaltungen, 5. April 1937,
Bestand Z.-Dok.001, Signatur Nr. 021, ASGM, p. 175.
46 Ibid.
47 Betrifft: Ermittlung und Sicherung der Personenstandsquellen des Judentums, 15.
Januar 1937, Bestand Z.-Dok.001, Signatur Nr. 001, ASGM, p. 6.
48 Betrifft: Ermittlung und Sicherung der Personenstandsquellen des Judentums, 31.
März 1937, Bestand Rep. C 96 II, Signatur Nr. 40, LHASA MD, p. 17. This file
contains an extensive list of the archival collection on the history of the Jews of
Magdeburg at the time of the completion of the inventory in March 1937.