Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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Owing to the pervasive hostile and threatening environment Jewish children
did not spend a great deal of time outdoors as a group. When outdoor group social
activities took place, they generally occurred in the relative safety of the
courtyards of any of the ‘Judenhäuser,’ in the field adjacent to the cemetery and
in the cemetery itself. Jewish children tended to visit each other at each other’s
homes ‘where parents could try to shelter them.’ 151 One interviewee recalled:
I mean we had incidents where we got abused in the streets and spat at and
once or twice punched in the nose by other children. All I could do was run
away as quickly as possible. It wasn’t terribly bad; I mean kids fight each
other under any circumstances. It was just that they had a better reason to
attack us – they didn’t need any other reason. Simply call us ‘Jews!’ and have
a go at us! 152
Jewish children adapted very quickly to the hostile environment and applied
certain strategies to reduce the possibility of abuse. A common strategy was
simply to move around by one’s self, as this attracted far less attention.
In spite of bans, some children rode on public transport, particularly trams, as
a novelty. This was a risky exercise, as their star would either have to be covered
or removed and the child not identified by commuters. 153 Walking through the city
was another form of leisure. As an important errand, children were also sent out to
view the newspaper headlines posted on billboards in order to report back on what
was occurring with regard to the war. During the day some children visited their
fathers who were on forced labour detail. One interviewee recalled when his
father was working with two other Jews on forced labour detail on the River Elbe,
he was taught to swim in the river. 154
151 M. F., op. cit., 27 June 1999.
152 Name withheld, op. cit., 18 June 1999.
153 Name withheld, op. cit., 23 July 1999.
154 Name withheld, op. cit., 18 June 1999.