Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

342
Spier was particularly remembered for ‘picking children who were inclined in
certain ways and developing their talents.’ 137 In this respect he fostered a love of
learning and of celebrating Jewishness in his learning community. One
interviewee concluded his remarks on Spier in this powerful way:
He was such a grand person, such a unique personality. I know he was just
unbelieveable! He was a teacher with such conviction. You know, everyone
remembers one teacher, and I remember him! 138
The learning experience at this school consequently left an indelible imprint on
the lives of all of its pupils, including the small number who survived.
In March 1941 all Jewish schools, including that in Magdeburg, were still in
the process of enrolling pupils from the dissolved smaller, outlying schools. 139 In
cases where children were unable to attend a designated school, private tuition
was permitted, and the cost born by the Reichsvereinigung der Juden in
Deutschland. This practice was further clarified in April 1942, when Jewish
boarding schools were established to meet the needs of children, who were still
not attending segregated schools. Schooling remained mandatory. The only
remaining exemptions for private tuition in homes were for those children too ill
to attend. Such exemptions were regulated by the Education Department of the
Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland. 140
An unknown number of ‘Mischlinge’ also attended the ‘Judenschule’ in
Magdeburg. In a number of cases parents in mixed marriages sought exemptions
and applied to the provincial government for a re-assessment of the racial
classification of their children and/or permission for their children to attend a
137
M. F., op. cit., 27 June 1999.
138
Ibid.
139
Privatunterricht für jüdische Schulkinder, 3. März 1941, Bestand Rep. C 28 II,
Signatur Nr. 88, Band 2, LHASA MD, op. cit., p. 90.
140
Schulpflicht und Privatunterricht jüdischer Schulkinder, 14. April 1942, ibid., p.
91.