Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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provided with a rich cultural, educational, social and sporting life. Additionally,
the community provided the resources for these activities to take place in relative
safety. This led to the development of positive Jewish identities; to broad
educational and sporting experiences; and for a majority it also led to, at best, an
ambivalence toward their German identities and the country of their birth, and, at
worst, an eventual rejection of that identity and Germany. For a number of
children and teenagers, the youth groups, together with a number of communal
organisations, also prepared them for unaccompanied emigration.
Preparation for Emigration
Preparation of youth for emigration occurred both directly and indirectly. Direct
preparation was organised by the Zionist movement, the Provinzial-Verband für
jüdische Wohlfahrtspflege in Sachsen-Anhalt, Beratungsstelle Magdeburg and by
the families of the emigrants themselves. Magdeburg’s two Hachsharah centres
provided preparatory training for Jewish youth in the early years of the regime and
continued operations until they were dissolved in 1938. The intended destination
was always Palestine and the majority of those attending such training programs
in the early years were Zionists. For the non-Zionist component of Magdeburg
Jewry, it was not until after the introduction of the Nuremberg Laws that the
emigration of unaccompanied children and youth became an option for the
Provinzial-Verband für jüdische Wohlfahrtspflege in Sachsen-Anhalt,
Beratungsstelle Magdeburg. Unlike those at the Hachsharah centres, their
preparation came somewhat later, because their intention had never been to leave
their German homes. Indirect preparation for all youth also developed due to the
limited employment opportunities for Jewish school leavers. Consequently,