Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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163 was not the case. Their rejection and humiliation was often compounded by their confusion. The abuse they experienced also led the majority of them to reject all things German, much earlier than those Jewish members of the adult world. Contact with non-Jews continued for a relatively short time after 1933. For the majority of Jews, such relationships had been terminated by the time the Nuremberg Laws were enacted. A minority of Jews maintained some social contact with non-Jewish friends and acquaintances beyond this period up until the pogrom of November 1938; some even beyond it. The experiences of adults and children varied, with children generally experiencing greater abuse by their non- Jewish cohort. Particularly after September 1935 through until the pogrom of November 1938, Jews confined themselves socially to the company of other Jews. The Nuremberg Laws effectively ended any possibility of social intercourse between the two groups once all residents in Germany were defined racially. Contact with non-Jews became potentially fraught with serious danger and even with accusations of ‘Rassenschande,’ a crime which featured in Magdeburg even before the Nuremberg Laws were promulgated. Rassenschande A favourite target for racially motivated antisemitic agitation was the sphere of alleged intimacy between Jews and ‘Aryans.’ 122 Such relations were branded ‘Rassenschande’ or ‘Rassenverseuchung.’ Relations between Jewish men and non-Jewish women were condemned as ‘the product of a devilish universal plan for the poisoning of the races,’ and German women were warned about such 122 Barkai, “Exclusion and Persecution: 1933–1938,” in Meyer, ed., op. cit., p. 208.
164 temptations. 123 Even prior to the Nuremberg Laws this area of policy toward the Jews took on a violent form in Magdeburg. Organised terror always preceded any new laws or ordinances 124 and this proved equally so in the case of Magdeburg. Trials of Jews in Magdeburg for ‘Rassenschande’ featured as early as June 1935. 125 Owing to the co-operation of the Nazi Party (in Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt), the judiciary and the city council, Jews from all avenues of society in the city were publicly humiliated, degraded and in the end incarcerated for this crime, 126 the most notorious being that of the baptised Jew, Albert Hirschland. For the Jews of Magdeburg this crime, complete with its associated demonisation of Jews as racial polluters, exacerbated isolation and exclusion, whilst simultaneously adding further degradation to their already difficult daily lives. Further to this, it created a real fear of contact with non-Jews, especially in business relations, as unprotected by the law, they were easy targets. Given the grotesque and sensationalistic media coverage of the alleged crimes, the impact in the public domain for Jews was immediate and unrelenting. A number of the recorded trials of Jews for ‘Rassenschande’ in Magdeburg bear witness to what can only be described as the legal application of the pseudo- scientific theories of ‘racial hygiene,’ whereby near pornographic fantasies were played out in trials and depicted in the print media. After passage of the Nuremberg Laws, many Jews were arrested throughout Germany on charges of ‘Rassenschande’ and then ‘persuaded’ in gaols or concentration camps to sell 123 Barkai, “Exclusion and Persecution: 1933–1938,” in Meyer, ed., op. cit., p. 208. 124 Ibid., p. 209. 125 Correspondence to the Oberlandesgerichtspräsidenten in Naumburg a/S, 22 June 1935, Bestand Rep. C 128, Signatur Nr. 81, LHASA MD, p. 153. 126 Kurt Sabatzky, Meine Erinnerungen an den Nationalsozialismus, undated, File ME 541; MM65, LBIA NY, op. cit., pp. 25–26.
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Life under Siege: The Jews of Magde
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Chapter Five: Daily Lives of Childr
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Abstract This regional study docume
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Dedication This thesis is dedicated
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RM Reichsmark. Unit of currency in
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Bund Nationalsozialistscher Deutsch
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Jüdische Kultusvereinigung - Jewis
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Polnische Juden (literally ‘Polis
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Union der Zionisten Revisionisten,
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In Magdeburg, Peter Ledermann and t
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xxi
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Concentration Camp. 2 Prior to this
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The History of the Community until
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during this period. In 1492 an argu
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2,356 in 1925, 20 and then dropped
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esmirch the Jewish effort during th
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possible to combine archival source
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surviving material with which to at
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In the case of reconstructing the h
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This thesis does not purport to she
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Chapter One: The Structure of the J
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immigrants. 8 Of this figure, 976 w
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Not atypically, Hemmi Freeman’s f
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one of the later versions of the do
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Magdeburg. 35 The former Synagogen-
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streets.’ 44 There existed, never
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varying periods of their own famili
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Wilde must be placed at the centre
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een Magdeburg-based, were the youth
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forms of bank deposits and fixed in
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The expenditure for social welfare
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quarter were still relatively low,
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details the financial hardship of c
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activities of all Jewish organisati
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On 23 May 1936, the Gestapa issued
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September 1938. 118 All property be
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Jüdische Bezirksdarlehnskasse on 5
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These dissolutions led to a number
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where he remained until his emigrat
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Wilde was also widely recognised as
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of synagogue sexton and was still i
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Not surprisingly, the social elemen
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every Shabbes. These people, some o
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ensure physical survival in the cit
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Regular meetings of the Magdeburg b
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temporary removal of antisemitic si
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equest and the remains were interre
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Hachsharah camps. In March 1934 app
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HAGO’s Kreisamtsleiter, neither t
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Chapter Two: The Destruction of Jew
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confirmed that prior to 1933, their
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though a local member of the SA sto
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that the number of shops willing to
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day-to-day goods and services. The
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each day and report his findings. 3
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usiness in Magdeburg is further con
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gave up the old shop and rented a c
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cycle up there and get the key and
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professionals were targeted by the
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children Werner and Jutta. Due to t
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100 public. In addition to this abu
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102 1938 that after 30 November 193
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104 were ‘non-Aryan and enemies o
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106 be trusted. 102 From September
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108 of the Reichsbürgergesetz of 1
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110 senior civil servant failed to
Page 133 and 134: 112 Reichsführer SS und Chef der D
Page 135 and 136: 114 just fewer than 50% of its orig
Page 137 and 138: 116 Jewish business owners, either
Page 139 and 140: 118 before experienced investment o
Page 141 and 142: 120 Weg 73-74. They had taken over
Page 143 and 144: 122 the knowledge of the mayor’s
Page 145 and 146: 124 sought by all non-Jewish partie
Page 147 and 148: 126 As the application of these rac
Page 149 and 150: 128 far too many Jewish organisatio
Page 151 and 152: 130 District 16 instructed that in
Page 153 and 154: 132 On 25 September 1935, the Reich
Page 155 and 156: 134 Reichstag had taken place. The
Page 157 and 158: 136 reason were to be taken into cu
Page 159 and 160: 138 In further confirmation of the
Page 161 and 162: 140 and snowballing effects of excl
Page 163 and 164: 142 daily affairs as though life ha
Page 165 and 166: 144 behaviour would not be tolerate
Page 167 and 168: 146 Rellum’s depiction of the sit
Page 169 and 170: 148 day the Gestapa ruled that only
Page 171 and 172: 150 licences to Jews on account of
Page 173 and 174: 152 By the time of the pogrom their
Page 175 and 176: 154 adult level, but seldom on the
Page 177 and 178: 156 daughter, Inge-Ruth, had left o
Page 179 and 180: 158 Jewish friends that ‘they [th
Page 181 and 182: 160 In the instances where Jewish y
Page 183: 162 from Worms to Trier over the mo
Page 187 and 188: 166 Der Stürmer dedicated solely t
Page 189 and 190: 168 Der Stürmer addressed the mass
Page 191 and 192: 170 position of trust at the colleg
Page 193 and 194: 172 instances this was for what wou
Page 195 and 196: 174 article in Der Stürmer entitle
Page 197 and 198: 176 other and capable of racial pol
Page 199 and 200: 178 until 1938, the community felt
Page 201 and 202: 180 Dr Kulmey, insisted that Fliess
Page 203 and 204: Chapter Four: Daily Life in the Pri
Page 205 and 206: 184 the Iron Cross!” The next day
Page 207 and 208: 186 Two. 17 The only other opportun
Page 209 and 210: 188 I went once to Wyk auf Föhr [W
Page 211 and 212: 190 in order to make some extra mon
Page 213 and 214: 192 were forced to, owing to their
Page 215 and 216: 194 emigration. 44 Jews in Magdebur
Page 217 and 218: 196 This practice of investigation
Page 219 and 220: 198 countries of migration. The two
Page 221 and 222: 200 elsewhere, unmarried adult chil
Page 223 and 224: Chapter Five: Daily Lives of Childr
Page 225 and 226: 204 authorities would bear no respo
Page 227 and 228: 206 I went to Cheder with Hanni Wur
Page 229 and 230: 208 otherwise they generally felt
Page 231 and 232: 210 and/or gymnastics teacher had e
Page 233 and 234: 212 Pupils were often degraded in s
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214 The duress of school life did n
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216 By the time the mayor’s offic
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218 Jews.’ 55 The approval for th
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220 emigration, the remaining Jewis
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222 ‘Heimat’, which had renamed
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224 hiking. 73 At the time of regis
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226 This organisation was numerical
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228 Despite the ideological differe
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230 Jewish youth in Magdeburg were
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232 time, the demand of the two kno
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234 No, I didn’t think it would e
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236 for emigration, the Magdeburg-b
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238 accepted as a Jewess in Adelaid
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240 A few months before I left my p
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242 the chaos and panic that follow
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244 travelling companion recalled t
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246 her mother was in 1942. 140 Thi
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248 Southampton. 154 His recollecti
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250 extermination camp. Approximate
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Chapter Six: The Reichskristallnach
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254 The majority of interviewees re
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The Pogrom in Magdeburg 256 On the
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258 Marianne, and son, Gerhard (Ger
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260 arrests on 10 November, his wif
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262 Rabbi Dr Wilde along with the m
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264 shawl; when he realised it was
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266 ‘Elsaß’ and a paint and wa
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268 was to be completed prior to th
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270 The Reichskristallnacht was a c
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272 were ordered to clean up the de
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274 Australian government had recei
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276 applications for emigration for
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278 Samuel Freiberg’s daughter re
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280 woman in Magdeburg, survived th
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282 my parents suddenly began to we
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284 The entire community also worke
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286 premises. Expedited economic ex
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288 out of the question. 130 The mi
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290 In the wake of the pogrom and t
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292 small number of professionals w
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294 majority of Jews in Magdeburg h
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296 the exhibition, a commemorative
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298 Jewish patients only on 1 April
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300 the process of procuring the ne
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302 objects containing gold, platin
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304 public eye became policy. Now t
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Chapter Seven: The Jewish Community
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307 the agent for Jewish emigration
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309 ‘Judenhäuser.’ 15 Prior to
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311 Jews, German Jews. There were a
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313 Interviewees also recalled that
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315 members to the community; the m
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317 41,434.95. 42 Additionally, twe
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319 By the end of 1939 all of the f
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321 outstanding communal work. 56 T
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323 In attempting to expedite the c
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325 In consort with those measures,
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327 he had escaped most abusive sit
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329 and conducted at the premises o
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331 bemoaned that breaches of the p
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333 quadruplicate with the owner’
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335 community members were reminded
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337 Riese née Kochmann had already
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339 developed a positive attitude t
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341 should not expect the school to
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343 ‘German school.’ One such e
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345 Owing to the pervasive hostile
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347 any organisation……I still m
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349 little doubt that there were th
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351 reply, on 3 July 1942, the Magd
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353 whose name was Ilse, and Klemm
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355 was not restricted in her movem
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357 were to lose their lives in the
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359 labour in the city the majority
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361 the exact procedures to be foll
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363 normal practice and as many as
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365 the now enlarged Reich. Unlike
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367 commencement of transferring ti
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369 On 26 February 1943, at least f
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371 the city. At that time, of the
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373 of that. They did their best. T
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375 This approximate total figure i
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377 approximately one thousand year
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Conclusion 378 On the eve of the Na
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380 spite of an effective and ongoi
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382 increasingly onerous as the yea
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384 Nuremberg Laws, this separation
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386 inception of the Nazi regime. N
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388 Reichskristallnacht, it was env
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390 them in Germany; for the others
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392 of the Jews from the city occur
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394 who relocated to elsewhere in G
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396 communal life in Magdeburg and
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398
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Archiv des Internationalen Suchdien
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their subsequent dissolutions; the
Page 427 and 428:
Individual Interviews by the Author
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Bauer, Yehuda The Holocaust in Hist
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Bundesarchiv, Koblenz and der Inter
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Emanuel, Muriel and Vera Gissing Ni
Page 435 and 436:
Herbert, Ulrich Best. Biographische
Page 437 and 438:
Kundrus, Birthe and Beate Meyer, ed
Page 439 and 440:
Nova, Fritz Alfred Rosenberg: Nazi
Page 441 and 442:
Schmidt, Herbert ‘Rassenschande
Page 443 and 444:
Yahil, Leni The Holocaust: The Fate
Page 445 and 446:
Cohn, Werner “Bearers of a Common
Page 447 and 448:
Kwiet, Konrad “The Second Time Ar
Page 449 and 450:
Schiffres, Paul “Australia Bound:
Page 451:
Theses and Unpublished Manuscripts
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