Germany Holocaust – The Holocaust for German Jews

Though the horrors of the Holocaust would eventually travel throughout much of Europe, they began in Germany where Hitler was dictator and the Nazi party ruled. It was only after other countries were invaded by Germany that the Holocaust was able to spread. German Jews felt the persecution of Hitler's regime almost immediately. Many were fortunate enough to see what was coming and find ways to escape. There were approximately 522,000 Jews in Germany when Hitler took power in 1933. By 1939, about 304,000 of these Jews emigrated in an attempt to escape Nazi rule. Just 214,000 Jews were left.

 

Those Jews who remained in Germany were subjected to increasingly stringent laws. Here's a brief timeline of the persecution of Jews in Germany:

• 1933 – The "Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service" excludes Jews from state service. Civilian Jewish workers are fired from the Army. Jews are further excluded from many legal and medical positions. The number of Jewish students at schools and universities is restricted.
• 1943 – Jewish actors are prohibited from appearing on stage or screen.
• 1935 – The "Nuremberg Laws" are passed which strip Jews of German citizenship and prohibit them from marrying non-Jewish people. Jews cannot vote or hold public office. Jewish officers are expelled from the Army and Jewish soldiers cannot be listed among the dead on WWI memorials.
• 1937 – Jews are banned from working as dentists and accountants. Jewish teachers may not teach non-Jews. Tax deductions and child allowances are stripped from Jewish families.
• 1938 – Jews are required to register all wealth, property, and businesses. Jewish men are required to add Israel to their names, and women must add Sarah on all legal documents. Passports of Jews are stamped with a red "J." Jewish students are expelled from non-Jewish schools.
• 1939 – Jews are forced to surrender all silver and gold possessions. Jewish families are prohibited from being tenants with Aryan landlords. A curfew is enacted for all Jews in Germany.

In 1941, the Nazis began to systematically deport German Jews to Nazi-occupied Poland. Jews were sent to Warsaw, Lodz, and transit ghettos like Izbica and Piaski. Many were ultimately transported to the extermination camps of Treblinka, Belzec, and Chelmno. What began as discrimination eventually escalated to organized extermination of the Jewish population. By 1934, Germany had less than 20,000 Jews left. Those who survived often had to live in hiding. Very few were considered exempt from the Nazi extermination efforts.