Life_under_Siege_The_Jews_of_Magdeburg_under_Nazi_Rule.pdf

Hachsharah camps. In March 1934 approximately forty young people were
involved in agricultural courses on farms outside the city. 202 By the middle of
1935 employment opportunities became very focused on school leavers and
youth. 203 In addition, considerable energies were directed to the spiritual and
cultural life of the community. 204
From the middle of 1937 onwards, the emigration of children and youth to
foreign countries had become an additional priority. Announcements and
advertisements were placed in the community requesting interested parties to
complete the application forms and prepare themselves for the procedures to
follow. The recorded destinations were the United States of America (USA) and
England; this also included the entire British Empire. Of note were some requests
from Australia and New Zealand that only ‘Mischlinge’ be considered. 205
Clearly, both the religious congregations and the welfare agencies sought,
particularly in the initial years of the Nazi regime, to equip members of the
community with long-term strategies that would assist them in adjusting to their
changed circumstances, and not just with physical needs and financial assistance.
This was primarily undertaken in the areas of employment and retraining.
However, once the full ramifications of the Nuremberg Race Laws were felt, these
202 Protokoll der Hauptversammlung des Provinzialverbandes für jüdische
Wohlfahrtspflege in Sachsen-Anhalt, Magdeburg, 11. März 1934, ALJGSA, p. 2.
203 Correspondence from the Provinzial-Verband für jüdische Wohlfahrtspflege in
Sachsen-Anhalt, Beratungsstelle Magdeburg, 6 March 1934, Bestand 2A2, Signatur
Nr. 1315, CJA, op. cit., pp. 102–118.
204 Questionnaire on the priorities of the Provinzial-Verband für jüdische
Wohlfahrtspflege in Sachsen-Anhalt and the Synagogen-Gemeinden-Verband der
Provinz Sachsen, 5 May 1935, ALJGSA.
205 Correspondence from the Provinzial-Verband für jüdische Wohlfahrtspflege in
Sachsen-Anhalt, Beratungsstelle Magdeburg, 26 July 1937 – 6 May 1938, Bestand
2A2, Signatur Nr. 1315, CJA, op. cit., pp. 270–309. This subject is further explored in
greater detail in Chapter Five.
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