Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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or not leaving’ faded. 62 Most Jews no longer suffered any delusions about their
future in Germany. Along with this, particularly for the older generation, came the
brutal and stark realisation that Jewish life in Germany was no longer feasible.
Reactions of the Victims and the Perpetrators
In Magdeburg, as elsewhere in the Reich, the situation became life-threatening.
Given the events and the ensuing circumstances the majority of the Jews sought
emigration at any cost and to almost anywhere. The pogrom had galvanised them
into action. For those in concentration camps, the only way out was proof of
readiness to emigrate. For those not in camps, the magnitude of the violence
influenced their decisions. It was only after the pogrom that Jews were finally
convinced that they faced physical danger. The realisation that Jewish life in
Germany and Austria, as Jews had once known it, had come to such an end, was
uncontested.
Whilst Jews desperately sought refuge in other countries, the Nazis enacted a
barrage of new antisemitic legislation. Representatives of the German insurance
companies argued that the reputation of the industry depended on paying out
claims for damages, whether made by German or Jewish owners. Göring’s
solution was that all insurance payments on properties owned by Jews were to be
made to the state. In addition, a one billion Reichsmark fine was imposed on the
Jewish community. Other suggestions were put into effect within weeks. Jews
62 Konrad Kwiet, “The Second Time Around: Re-Acculturation of German-Jewish
Refugees in Australia,” The Journal of Holocaust Education, vol.10, number 1, 2001,
p. 35.