Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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The final and most common area of all with regard to contact with non-Jews
was in the business sphere. All interviewees concurred that their parents possessed
numerous non-Jewish business contacts. In a community of Magdeburg’s size this
also stands to reason, as no one could have survived in any business relying on
Jewish custom alone – something that Jewish businesses quickly learned when
this, in fact, became the case due to Nazi regulations. Recollections of business
relationships indicate that they were very cordial and even friendly; but seldom
ventured into the social domain. Not dissimilar to the preceding areas of contact,
these interactions faded away, with the only exception being of some businesses
where contact did remain, although on strictly professional terms, until businesses
were invariably ‘aryanised.’
There were some instances where non-Jews did maintain contact with Jewish
friends, but these were the exceptions and much of this contact was clandestine.
Of particular note was a member of the Gestapo in Magdeburg by the name of
Plettig. This man had served in World War One and had reputedly served with a
Jewish man from Magdeburg and both formed a bond. Gerry Levy recalled that
‘as a result of this association, communal organisations were often given warnings
of anti-Jewish Aktionen that were to take place and that he was in fact a friend of
the Jews.’ 103 With prior knowledge of the pogrom to be unleashed on 9–10
November 1938, this man informed a number of Jews who were to be arrested.
Some of them evaded incarceration thanks to this information.
Some non-Jews provided material comforts to Jews. Rosemarie Berndt, a non-
Jewish friend of Inge-Ruth Herrmann, often took food to the Herrmanns. 104 Their
103 Levy, op. cit., 10 July 1997.
104 Austinat, op. cit., 29 January 2001.