Anti-Jewish Legislation (Laws) From 1933 to 1939, Hitler s Germany passed over 400 laws that targeted Jews. Individual cities created their own laws to limit the rights of Jews in addition to the national laws. These laws affected both the public and private lives of Jews and other groups. The first law, in April of 1933 barred (stopped) Jews being in state service. In other words, they were not allowed to work for the Government in any way. This was just the first of MANY laws to follow that very same month. These are just a few of those laws. 1. There was a limit on the number of Jewish students at German schools and universities. Only 1.5% of students could be non-aryan. 2. Jewish doctors could not get paid from public (state) health insurance funds. 3. The city of Berlin, Germany forbade (did not allow) Jewish lawyers and notaries to work on legal matters 4. The mayor of Munich stopped allowing Jewish doctors from treating non-jewish patients. 5. Jewish students could not be admitted into medical school. 6. In 1934, Jewish actors were forbidden from performing on stage and screen. Nuremberg Laws: Many more laws followed. The most significant ones were known as the Nuremberg laws. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws declared that Jews were no longer considered citizens of Germany. Even if someone was not religious, if there grandparents were Jews, they too were stripped of their citizenship. More Laws: The 1935 Nuremberg Laws brought about even more segregation in Germany. 7. Jewish Patients could not be admitted into public hospitals in one city. 8. Jews were expelled from the army 9. World War I Jewish soldiers that died could not be names among the dead. 10. Jews had to register their businesses with the government. Jewish workers and managers were fired. Over ⅔ of all Jewish businesses were sold well below their value to non-jews. 11. In 1937, Jewish lawyers were no longer allowed to practice law (be lawyers( 12. Jewish doctors could no longer treat non-jewish patients. 13. J ews were barred from public schools, universities, cinemas, theaters & sports. 14. Jews had to identify themselves and carry an ID marked with a J for Juden (Jew)
Kristallnacht Between 12,000 and 17,000 Polish Jews had crossed the border into Germany in 1938. Many considered Germany more welcoming to Jews than Poland at that time. With no place to stay, these Jews were herded into stables normally designed for horses. Henry Grynszpan wanted the world to see how the Jews were being treated and get revenge for his father being deported to Poland. So he decided to make a point. Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass November 9, 1938 Grynszpan walked up to the German Embassy in Paris, France and shot the first official he saw. A man named Von Rath died. Germany responded by attacking ALL Jews, their homes and businesses in Germany. These attacks across Jewish centers became known as Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass. Even though these attacks had been planned for quite some time, but Grynspan s murder was used as an excuse for Germans to begin the Holocaust. Germany was filled with beautiful, old synagogues that had been there for centuries. And overnight it all went up in flames. (Picture Above) 30,000 Jews were lined up and placed into concentration camps. (Picture Below)
Ghettos The term ghetto originated during the Holocaust as a place where many people of the same group lived, usually force. Notice the wall and barbed wire. People Could NOT leave. (Pictures above and right) Open Ghettos These ghettos had no walls or fences, but there were restrictions on entering and leaving. Passes, curfews and searches happened as people went in and out. (See below) Closed Ghettos Closed Ghettos were closed off by walls, or by fences with barbed wire. The Nazis moved Jews living in the surrounding areas to the closed ghetto. This led to very crowded and unsanitary conditions. Starvation happened. There was not enough fuel, food and supplies. People had to deal with severe winter weather, without heated housing. There also were not hospitals or proper plumbing, so there were outbreaks of disease and a high death rate. Most ghettos were of this type. Destruction ghettos These were tightly sealed off and existed for between two and six weeks. Then the Germans deported or shot the entire Jewish population inside. (see below) Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Many Jews in ghettos across Eastern Europe tried to organize groups to fight back against the Germans and to arm themselves with smuggled and homemade weapons. Between 1941 and 1943, underground resistance movements formed in about 100 Jewish groups. The most famous attempt by Jews to resist the Germans in armed fighting occurred in the Warsaw Ghetto. Jews climbing the 10-foot walls surrounding the Warsaw Ghetto where over 350,000 Jews lived. Z.O.B. In the summer of 1942, about 300,000 Jews were deported from Warsaw to Treblinka (a concentration camp). When reports of mass murder in the killing center leaked back to the Warsaw ghetto, a surviving group of mostly young people formed an organization called the Z.O.B. (for the Polish name, Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa, which means Jewish Fighting Organization). The Z.O.B., led by 23-year-old Mordecai Anielewicz, called for the Jewish people to resist going to the railroad cars. UPRISING On April 19, 1943, the Warsaw ghetto uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport any surviving Jews. Seven hundred and fifty fighters fought the heavily armed and well-trained Germans. The ghetto fighters were able to hold out for nearly a month, but on May 16, 1943, the revolt ended. The Germans had slowly crushed the resistance. Of the more than 56,000 Jews captured, about 7,000 were shot, and the remainder were deported to killing centers or concentration camps. Be the Jew First, read each passage and answer questions. Then, imagine you lived as a Jewish person who
experienced Kristallnacht and ghetto life first hand. Describe your experiences in a SERIES of diary entries this will be turned in. Kristallnacht 1. Why is it called the Night of Broken Glass? 2. Why did Grynszpan shoot the German official? 3. Which of the Numbers is most shocking to you? Explain your answer. 4. Which of the pictures sticks out for you the most? Explain your answer. Kristallnacht Diary Entry : Describe what you saw on November 9, 1938. Briefly describe your story and what happened to you or your family. Use imagery, sights, sounds, smells, emotions Ghettos : 1. Briefly Describe EACH of the 3 types of Ghettos: Closed, Open & Destruction 2. Name 3 serious problems caused by closed ghettos? 3. What happened to the people in Destruction Ghettos? Ghettos Diary Entry : You are living in one of the closed ghettos. Write an entry where you decide whether or not you are going to try and escape. Talk about the dangers, what this might mean for loved ones, the risks you take and the potential reward. Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Warsaw Ghetto Diary Entry: Are you joining the Z.O.B. and resisting the Nazis? Write about your decision making process.