Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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he had escaped most abusive situations owing to his physiognomy, recalling: ‘We
didn’t look Jewish at all and we were blond. So, we had no incidents up to that
point; none whatsoever.’ 80 The yellow star with the word ‘Jew’ inscribed in black
in the middle was to be stitched on to the left chest of the outer garment. Breaches
of the decree attracted a fine of RM 150 or up to six weeks’ imprisonment. 81 The
decree also specified the exact size specifications of the star and how it was to be
worn. One interviewee recalled:
We were very much shaken by this and were shocked at how big they
were. Then Mum set about very carefully sewing them on to jackets. She
folded them perfectly over and went right around the six parts. She did a
beautiful job, while others only tied them up in the corners. But being kids
we used to fold our jacket under our arms; very rarely actually displayed it.
When it was displayed, we were targeted, mostly by other kids, very rarely by
adults. I only ever remember being abused by an adult once, fairly solidly, but
not physically, but just abuse. This was simply because I was Jewish. 82
However, even for young Jews it was not always possible to conceal the star:
We couldn’t always hide our star, because people would recognise us. Some
were abusive, some weren’t – the whole gamut. They were mainly abusive,
but not so much the adults, it was mainly younger people. I hated their guts, to
tell you the truth. 83
The seriousness of such breaches was something that was included in the Jewish
community’s newsletter for November 1941. Emphasis was placed on the fact that
not only was the star to be worn, but that it had to be at all times clearly visible. 84
In spite of the numerous acts of degradation and humiliation which Jews had
indured up until this point, this labelling of them ushered in a new level of
80
Name withheld, op. cit., 18 June 1999.
81
Polizeiverordnung über die Kennzeichung der Juden, 1. September 1941,
Collection JM, File 10625, op. cit., pp. 3–21. This file contains the comprehensive
details of the entire decree.
82
Name withheld, op. cit., 18 June 1999.
83
M. F., op. cit., 27 June 1999.
84
Bezirksstelle Sachsen-Thüringen der Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland
Verwaltungsstelle Magdeburg, 31. Oktober 1941, File AR 6559, LBIA NY, op. cit.,
unnumbered pages, two-page newsletter.