Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

streets.’ 44 There existed, nevertheless, some notable exceptions such as Hermann
Broder, who owned the department store ‘Kaufhaus Gebrüder Barasch’ and the
clothing retailer Pinkas Frühman. Both were not German-born and both were
highly successful and respected businessmen. Their success, however, did not
gain them complete social acceptance. This is evident in the membership of the
majority of the community’s social and cultural institutions.
The professional division was but an extension of the religious and national
division. Pedigree played a pivotal role in social acceptance. Given the varying
socio-economic circumstances, the two groups were geographically separated as
well. The majority of the members of the Shtiblech lived in the area where they
worked, that is, in the vicinity of Jakobstraße, whilst the members of the
Synagogen-Gemeinde tended to live in the leafy and more affluent suburbs at the
northern end of the city, known as the Nordfront, or in areas where they wished to
reside, quite often geographically distant from the remainder of the community,
such as the suburb of Sudenburg.
Nevertheless, both culturally and socially the divisions were not as entrenched
as they might appear on the surface. This is particularly noticeable in the social
activities of children and youth, at school and in activities organised by Zionist
groups for both adults and children and youth. However, on the adult level in the
spheres of social and cultural activities the separation was relatively complete, 45
with the notable exception of those adults involved in Zionist activities. Gisela
Kent, in discussing the relationship between the two groups, expressed it with
mild sarcasm:
44
Kent, op. cit., 5 January 1998.
45
Personal interview with Hemmi and Sigrid Freeman (recorded), Sydney, 13 May
1998.
30