Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

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the now enlarged Reich. Unlike the first group who were technically ‘deported’
and not ‘resettled, 223 this group of deportees did not leave German territory. Thus
the authorities declared them enemies of the state in order to confiscate their
remaining property in Germany, once ‘resettlement’ had taken place. The third
category under which property of deported Jews was confiscated was that of those
Jews who had lost their German citizenship. 224 Subsequently, all property owned
by Jews was appropriated by the Reich under one of the three categories. On 3
August 1942, the Ministry of Finance in Magdeburg had received all of the
associated files on the Jews deported, including the signed receipts for the keys to
their former apartments, and confirmation that they had been deported to the
east. 225
In the wake of the second mass deportation, the anxiety, fear and suspicion of
Jews in the city increased when no correspondence from the deportees was
received, as recalled by one interviewee:
When people didn’t write and there was no feedback whatsoever, then I think
it would only have been a matter of a few months before people started to
wonder. I know my parents were talking about some dreadful things
happening and were really upset about it. But they deliberately excluded the
children from this discussion. So we had very little inkling. This threat of
deportation was always over us too. I remember talking to M. about this a few
times as a child. You know what kids are like. It might be an interesting
change, that sort of attitude. You see we didn’t know what was at the end. I
223 Betrifft: Verwaltung und Verwertung des dem Reich angefallenen Vermögens, 23.
Oktober 1942, Bestand Rep. G 1, Signatur Nr. 390, LHASA MD, op. cit., p. 101. The
cited quotation is the author’s translation from the original German which reads: ‘I …
die am 14. April 1942 von der Staatspolizeistelle Magdeburg in das
Generalgouvernement (Ausland) abgeschobenen Juden; IV … die am 11. Juli 1942
von der Staatspoliziestelle Magdeburg umgesiedelten Juden (in Inland verblieben).
224 Betrifft: Verwaltung und Verwertung des dem Reich angefallenen Vermögens, 23.
Oktober 1942, ibid., p. 101. The cited quotation is the author’s translation from the
original German which reads: ‘I … die am 14. April 1942 von der Staatspolizeistelle
Magdeburg in das Generalgouvernement (Ausland) abgeschobenen Juden; IV … die
am 11. Juli 1942 von der Staatspoliziestelle Magdeburg umgesiedelten Juden (in
Inland verblieben).
225 Betr.: Abschiebung von Juden, 3. August 1942, ibid., p. 76.