Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

importantly for Nazi bureaucracy, could be monitored and even managed more
effectively. This accounts for the dissolution of the Jewish sports group Jüdischer
Turn- und Sportverein ‘Bar Kochba’ in 1935. Given its non-nationalistic ideology
and its Zionist leanings, its early dissolution cannot be explained, other than by
postulating that as it was a local non-affiliated organisation, the local Gestapo
wished it disbanded or perhaps its board members fell foul of the authorities. 132
All the discussed organisations in Magdeburg were required to register all of
their gatherings and activities with the Gestapa, which on a number of occasions
revoked permission for assemblies. Further to this, all the dissolved organisations
were instructed not to attempt to re-open or to instigate any new or similar
organisation.
The two groupings of organisations which were permitted to continue
operations until they were either dissolved in the years 1938 and 1939 or which
were eventually incorporated into the Reichsvereinigung der Juden in
Deutschland in 1939 were those of Zionist ideologies promoting Jewish
emigration and Jewish welfare agencies. Zionist organisations were of
considerable use and value to the regime as long as emigration was their main
agenda. Once this was no longer the case they also were disbanded. In
Magdeburg, the vast majority of documented welfare agencies continued their
vital work until they were incorporated into the Reichsvereinigung der Juden in
Deutschland. Of the surviving organisations, they were the only ones of any
practical use to the regime in that they managed all matters pursuant to Jewish
welfare in the city.
132
No documentation detailing this organisation’s operations between 1933 and 1935
has been located.
53