Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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authorities would bear no responsibility for negligence in the event of a negative
outcome in the children’s education. 6
In January 1934, the Prussian Ministry for Science, Art and Education
commenced preparations for changes to Jewish educational institutions. 7 On 26
January 1934, the provincial government in Magdeburg was requested to inform
the aforementioned ministry in Berlin within two weeks of how many private
Jewish schools existed in its jurisdiction. 8 This also included religious schools
attached to synagogues.
As religion was a mandatory component of the school curriculum under the
Nazi regime, Jewish pupils were exempted from religious instruction during
school time and attended the Religionsschule of the Synagogen-Gemeinde. Those
Jewish pupils who were members of one of the Shtiblech would probably have
attended their congregation’s Cheder. 9 Jewish pupils attended religious instruction
until they either completed their schooling or until they commenced their
schooling at the segregated Jewish school in June 1938 or at the very latest until
the occurrence of the pogrom in November 1938.
The Religionsschule was directed by Rabbi Dr Wilde. The nominated teacher
of the school was Rudolf Rosenberg. However, both the rabbi and the cantor, Max
6 Correspondence from Der Preußische Minister für Wissenschaft, Kunst und
Volksbildung, 17 June 1933, Bestand Rep. C 28 II, Signatur Nr. 88, Band 2, LHASA
MD, op. cit., p. 32.
7 Betrifft: jüdische und gemischt-jüdische Volksschulen, 8. Januar 1934, ibid., p. 34.
8 Correspondence from Der Preußische Minister für Wissenschaft, Kunst und
Volksbildung, 26 January 1934, Bestand Rep. C 28 II, Signatur Nr. 131, LHASA
MD, p. 53.
9 No documentation confirming the existence and operations of these organisations in
Magdeburg has been located. Further to this, one interviewee, Hemmi Freeman,
suggested that he thought that all of the community’s children, irrespective of
affiliation or background, attended the Religionsschule, as he thought it was the only
‘official’ school. However, this has not been substantiated, owing to an absence of
archival material and further oral history material.