Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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In further confirmation of the policy of the removal of Jews from public space
and of their isolation, on 30 March 1937 the Gestapo requested that all its branch
offices inform the Berlin office by 5 April of the names of spas and resorts
frequented by Jews in their respective districts, as policy was to be developed
segregating Jews from public spas and resorts. The view held was that segregated
spas and resorts for Jews only were to be instituted in the near future. 49 Even with
the intensity of the ongoing policies of segregation, the Gestapo was still
concerned that too many Jews were taking up membership of ‘assimilatory’
Jewish organisations in Germany and in April 1937 the Magdeburg Gestapa
increased its monitoring of the remaining Jewish organisations. 50 The concern was
that this tendency on the part of the Jews was counter to the plans of the
government, which was still encouraging emigration. The Nazis wanted the Jews
segregated and to adhere to the Nazis’ perception of their own culture. However,
they also wanted them to leave. In fine-tuning racial policy and the policies of
exclusion on 15 May 1937, the Gestapo ordered the dissolution of the Paulus-
Bund and ordered that ‘full racial Jews’ now become members of the Jewish
communities and that they cease any social intercourse with ‘Mischlinge.’ 51
By the middle of 1938 a new inventory of Jewish organisations was being
conducted as a component of ongoing surveillance. 52 In the furtherance of
permanent segregation and to assist in the targeting of Jews, on 17 August 1938, a
49 Betrifft: Zuweisung besonderer Badeorte an Juden, 30. März 1937, Bestand Z.-
Dok.001, Signatur Nr. 022, ASGM, p. 174.
50 Rundschreiben Nr. 167/37; Betr.: Assimilatorisch eingestellte Juden in
Deutschland, 3. April 1937, Bestand Z.-Dok.001, Signatur Nr. 002, ASGM, p. 192.
51 Betrifft: Paulus-Bund, 18. Mai 1937, Collection JM, File 10625, YVA, op. cit., p.
232. See Beate Meyer, ‘Jüdische Mischlinge’. Rassenpolitik und
Verfolgungserfahrung 1933–1945 Hamburg: Dölling und Galitz, 1999 and Cohn, op.
cit.
52 Betrifft: Jüdische Stiftungen, Vereine usw., 2. Juni 1938, Bestand Rep. C 20 I. I b,
Signatur Nr. 119, LHASA MD, op. cit., p. 325.