Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

economic structure of a number of communal organisations and institutions
functioned as the situation deteriorated. 79
The budgets of the Synagogen-Gemeinde for the years from and including
1933 to 1937 80 display remarkable stability considering the strain the community
was encountering. The synagogue continued in its myriad of functions. A number
of important observations from these documents further an understanding of
events and their ramifications at that time. For the 1933–1934 budget the
allocation was RM 98,930.71. 81 In 1936–1937 the allocation dropped to RM
80,167.46. 82 For the period after the 1933–1934 budget all the ensuing budgets
remained close to the figure indicated in the last budget. The greatest reduction in
expenditure occurred in the number of paid staff at the synagogue. Yet, regardless
of this drop in income and expenditure the documentation provides evidence of
the financial stability of the synagogue’s operations, as its roles and
responsibilities did not suffer as a result of this fiscal difference.
Also of note are the figures indicating the revenue generated by membership
of the synagogue. Payment of membership dues dropped by one third in the period
from the 1933–1934 budget to the 1934–1935 budget. 83 This situation indicates
the financial strain that approximately one third of the congregation was already
experiencing. The synagogue dues for the remaining budgets remained stable.
79 A number of organisations were omitted from the previous component discussing
the cultural structure of the community. Some of those omitted fall partially into the
cultural domain, however, for the greater part those to be included in this discussion
operated primarily as social welfare organisations and institutions and for this reason
they have been included in this component.
80 Synagogen-Gemeinde zu Magdeburg Haushaltsplan für 1933/1934, 1934/1935,
1935/1936, 1936/1937, Bestand Rep. A II, Signatur Nr. 2478 J 13a, Band 7, STAM,
op. cit.
81 Synagogen-Gemeinde zu Magdeburg Haushaltsplan für 1933/1934, ibid.
82 Synagogen-Gemeinde zu Magdeburg Haushaltsplan für 1936/1937, ibid.
83 Synagogen-Gemeinde zu Magdeburg Haushaltsplan für 1933/1934, 1934/1935,
ibid.
39