Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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Of all the non-Zionist youth groups, the Jüdisch-liberaler Jugendbund
‘Heimat’, which became the Jüdisch-religiöser Jugendbund ‘Heimat’, could not
be recalled by any interviewee, although its existence is confirmed through
archival material. However, other than its official registration, including its
constitution, no other documentation has been located. Its original name indicated
that it espoused a liberal form of Judaism, which would have attracted a sizeable
number of members from the Synagogen-Gemeinde. There can be little doubt that
it was forced to change its name, as by the time it was registered in July 1933 71 its
modified name was being used. The constitution of the group indicated its aim
was the spiritual and physical education of Jewish youth. It also referred to its
belief that German Jewry was both a component of the German
‘Volksgemeinschaft’ and the Jewish religious community. However, it repudiated
the notion that Jewish Germans were, indeed, a ‘foreign body’ within the German
people. 72 Given the name of the group ‘Heimat’ and the aims in its constitution,
clearly the group was nationalist in the German sense, whilst espousing pride in its
Jewishness within the German sphere. Membership was open to children above
ten years of age and the activities included lessons in Jewish history and literature
and religious festivals; discussion evenings on Jewish and German themes; and
71 Correspondence from the Jüdisch-religiöser Jugendbund ‘Heimat’, An den
Jugendführer des Deutschen Reiches, Abt. Verbände, 1 July 1933, Bestand 1, 75C Ar
1, Signatur Nr. 3, CJA, op. cit., pp. 45–47.
72 Satzungen des Jüdisch-religiösen Jugendbundes ‘Heimat’, Magdeburg, 1. Juli 1933,
ibid., pp. 46–47. The cited quotation is the author’s translation from the original
German which reads: ‘Der Jüdisch-religiöse Jugendbund ‘Heimat’ erstrebt die
Erziehung einer seelisch und körperlich gesunden Jugend, die sich bewusst als Glied
der deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und der jüdischen Religionsgemeinschaft fühlt.
Infolgdessen weisst der Jugendbund Bestrebungen, die die jüdischen Deutschen zu
einem Fremdkörper machen wollen im deutschen Volke, von welcher Seite sie auch
kommen mögen, mit aller Entschiedenheit zurück.’