Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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were ordered to clean up the destroyed synagogues and swift new regulations
increasingly segregated Jews.
Reactions of Jews in the aftermath of the pogrom in Magdeburg were swift.
Given the seriousness of the events, Jews quickly adjusted to the grave situation
they faced. The priorities became personal safety of loved ones, attending to the
release of male relatives arrested and preparation for emigration. Some still
hesitated to emigrate, as they remained even more fearful of the unknown than of
the situation they faced in Magdeburg. However, for the majority emigration
became the priority. 63
Shortly prior to the pogrom, the families of Jakob Wurmser and Samuel
Freiberg had commenced organising their families’ emigration and both of their
businesses were in the process of being ‘aryanised’ when the pogrom occurred.
Wurmser’s daughter recalled the confusion and panic that set in immediately after
the destruction and the arrests. However, once the panic had subsided, careful
organisation and planning ensued. She also remembered the disbelief of some
foreign relatives, when telegrammed for financial assistance:
We were afraid to go out, but the grown-ups were even more afraid. Both our
fathers were still in hiding and both our mothers were terrified. My mother
had cousins in America and we were sent to the Hauptpost [main post office]
to send a telegram to these relations. I still recall the long queue! And these
relatives, they told us: “To stick it out! Wer aushält, wird gekrönt!” A
telegram was also sent to my aunt and uncle in Palestine. And he responded
and saved our lives. Our ‘lift’ was ordered; we already had our tickets for the
trip via Canada; all that wasn’t ready was our landing money. That’s
how we got to Australia. 64
63 For a comprehensive account of the emigration experiences of Jewish refugees
from Magdeburg during the Nazi period see Michael E. Abrahams-Sprod,
“Australien! Wo ist denn das? The Migration Experience of Jewish Refugees from
Nazi Germany,” Australian Journal of Jewish Studies, vol. 17, 2003, pp. 9–24.
64 H. B., op. cit., 15 August 1997 and 19 November 1997.