1. Germany, 1930’s

2. Boycotts of Jewish Businesses
April 1, 1933 the Nazi’s organized a nationwide boycott of Jewish-owned businesses in Germany. Many local boycotts continued throughout much of the 1930’s

3. Berlin, Germany
People reading street notices about the economic boycott

4. A woman reads a boycott sign posted in a window of a Jewish-owned department store
USHMM photo

5. Boycotts
Stormtroopers block entrance to Jewish-owned shop. Sign says,”Germans! Defend yourselves! Don’t buy from Jews!”
On October 28, 1938, 17,000 Jews of Polish citizenship, many of whom had been living in Germany for decades, were arrested and relocated across the Polish border. The Polish government refused to admit them so they were interned in “relocation camps” on the Polish frontier.
Among the deportees was Zindel Grynszpan, who had been born in western Poland and had moved to Hanover, where he established a small store, in On the night of October 27, Zindel Gryszpan and his family were forced out of their home by German police. His store and the family’s possessions were confiscated and they were forced to move over the Polish border. Zindel Grynszpan’s 17 year old son, Herschel, was living with an uncle in Paris. When he received news of his family’s expulsion, he went to the German embassy in Paris on Nov. 7th, intending to assassinate the German ambassador to France. Upon discovering that the Ambassador was not in the embassy, he settled for a lesser official, Third Secretary Ernst von Rath. Rath was critically wounded and died two days later on Nov. 9th
Grynszpan’s attack was interpreted by Goebbels as a conspiratorial attack by “international Jewry” against the Reich and , symbolically, against the Fuhrer himself.
What appeared to be a spontaneous outburst of national anger was carefully orchestrated by the Nazi regime.
Grynszpan’s parents were Polish Jews living in Germany. They had been deported from Germany to Poland, but because Poland refused to accept its Jewish citizens, they were stranded in limbo. From the border town of Zbyngyn they wrote their son in desperation. His immediate response was to seek revenge. 5

6. Civil Service Law
April 7, Passed Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service. Any government employee could be dismissed for any reason
Hitler could fire the Jews who worked for the government
Other laws banned Jews from schools, other professions and owning land soon followed
On the nights of November 9th and 10th, gangs of Nazi youth roamed through Jewish neighborhoods breaking windows of Jewish businesses and homes, burning synagogues and looting. In all 101 synagogues were destroyed and almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed. 26,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Jews were physically attacked and beaten and 91 died.
On the nights of November 9th and November 10th, gangs of Nazi youth roamed through Jewish neighborhoods breaking windows of Jewish businesses and homes, burning synagogues, and looting.
101 synagogues were destroyed and almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed. 26,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
Jews were physically attacked and beaten and 91 died.
Just before midnight on November 9, Gestapo Chief Heinrich Muller sent a telegram to all police units letting them know that “in shortest order, actions against Jews and especially their synagogues will take place in all Germany. These are not to be interfered with.” Rather, the police were to arrest the victims. Fire companies stood by synagogues in flames with explicit instructions to let the buildings burn. They were to intervene only if a fire threatened adjacent Aryan properties.
Within 48 hours, over one thousand synagogues were burned, along with their Torah scrolls, Bibles, and prayer books. Seven thousand Jewish businesses were trashed and looted, ninety-six Jews were killed, and Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools, and homes were destroyed. The attackers were often neighbors. 30,000 were arrested.
To accommodate so many new prisoners, the concentration camps of Dachau, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen were expanded.
Pogrom- Organized violence against Jews, often with understood support of authorities 6

7. Book Burnings
May 10, Nazi party members, teachers, and others burned books written by Jews and political opponents of Nazis
The Gestapo broke into Jewish homes and arrested husbands and fathers. When asked what they had committed, they were told that Jews were responsible for starting the riots. 7

8. Law for Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Disease
July 14, Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Disease
Mandates the forced sterilization of certain physically or mentally impaired individuals
Present at the meeting were Goering, Goebbels, Reinhard Heydrich, Walter Funk and other ranking Nazi officials. The intent of this meeting was to make the Jews responsible for Kristallnacht and to use the events of the preceding days as a rationale for promulgating a series of antisemitic laws which would, in effect, remove Jews from the German economy.
It was decided that since Jews were to blame for these events, they be held legally and financially responsible for the damages.
Accordingly, a “fine of 1 billion marks was levied for the slaying of Von Rath and 6 million marks paid by insurance companies for broken windows was to be given to the state coffers. 8

9. Night of the Long Knives
Was the murder of Ernst Roehm and other SA leaders on June 30, 1934
SA stands for “Sturmabteilung” or storm troopers, also known as “Brownshirts”
After the Night of the Long Knives, the SA was replaced by the SS

10. The SS or Schutzstaffeln
“Schutzstaffeln” means “protection squad”
Also known as the “Black shirts”
It was created in 1925 to protect the Nazi party and Hitler
After the Nazi’s seize power, it becomes the most powerful organization within the state
Controlled the concentration and death camp system

11. Nuremberg Laws of 1935
Nuremberg is where the Nazis had their party rallies
These laws withdrew citizenship from Jews
Now they were only subjects
Forbade marriages and sexual relations between Jews and Germans
Jews could not employ German women under 45 in their households

12. Nuremberg Laws of 1935 Identified who was Jewish by % Jewish blood
Organized persecution of Jews began in earnest
By now it is clear to Hitler and his top advisors that forced immigration of Jews out of
the Reich is not a feasible option
Hitler is already considering the invasion of Poland
Numerous concentration camps and forced labor camps are already in operation
The Nuremberg Laws are in place
The doctrine of lebensraum has emerged as a guiding principle of Hitler’s ideology
The passivity of the German people in the face of the events of Kristallnacht made it clear that the Nazis would encounter little opposition- even from the German churches 12

14. 1936 Olympics Berlin chosen to host 1936 Olympics
Nazi’s used sport in its drive to “purify” and strengthen the “Aryan” race
Prepare youth for war
Joseph Goebbels convinced Hitler the Olympics was an opportunity to show the world the “new Germany”
Heydrich requested new decrees barring Jews from any contact with Germans by excluding them from public transportation, schools, even hospitals, essentially forcing them into ghettos or out of the country. Goebbels said they Jews would be made to clean out the debris from burned out synagogues which would then be turned into parking lots.
Jews were required to turn over all precious metals to the government
Pensions for Jews dismissed from civil service jobs were arbitrarily reduced
Jewish-owned bonds, stocks, jewelry and art works can be alienated only to the German state
Jews were physically segregated within German towns
A ban on the Jewish ownership of carrier pigeons
The suspension of the Jewish driver’s licenses
The confiscation of Jewish-owned radios
A curfew to keep Jews off the streets between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. in the summer and 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. in the winter
Laws protecting tenants were made non-applicable to Jewish tenants
At this meeting it was decided to eliminate Jews entirely from economic life in the Reich by transferring all Jewish property to ‘Aryans’ with minor compensation given to the Jews in the form of bonds. 14

15. 1936 Olympics
April Reich Sports Office ordered an “Aryans only” policy in all German athletic organizations
Many athletes’ careers were interruped
The path to the Final Solution has now been chosen. And, all the bureaucratic mechanisms for implementation were now in place. 15

16. Should the Games Go On?
Many western democracies were outraged by the actions of the Nazis and questioned if Berlin should host the games.
Olympic protocol provides there should be no restriction of competition because of class, color, or creed.
In order to repair the damage that had been done, precious German money would have to be spent. Plate glass for the shop windows came only from Belgium and it might take two years for the Belgium factories to manufacture enough to replace the many shop windows that had been broken. Goering was very upset by this. He said, “I would rather you had slaughtered 200 Jews than destroyed such valuable property.”
It did not take long for the Germans to find a solution to their problem. The Jews would pay for the damages!
Goering announced, “Because it is insane to clean out and burn a Jewish warhouse, then have a German insurance company make good the loss. And the good which I need desperately, whole bales and whatnot, are being burned. And I miss them everywhere. I may as well burn the raw materials before they arrive.
The broken glass alone came to five million marks, the equivalent of well over two million dollars. Jews of German nationality, unlike Jewish-owned corporations from abroad, could not file for damages. Any compensation claims paid to Jews by insurance companies were confiscated by the Reich.
After assessing the fine, Goring remarked: “The swine won’t commit another murder. Incidentally…. I would not like to be a Jew in Germany.” 16

17. African American and Jewish Voices
They thought African American victories by blacks would disprove Nazi racial views of “Aryan” supremacy
Promote black pride at home - Jesse Owens
American Jewish Congress and the Jewish Labor Committee supported boycott of Berlin Olympics
Hitler got rid of people in the government who objected. Suddenly the bureaucracy was compliant.
Laws affected Jewish lawyers, judges, doctors, and teachers
Until this time, antisemitism was more rhetoric than action. 17

18. Berlin: The Facade of Hospitality
Joseph Goebbels strictly censored the German press, radio, and film
Anti-Jewish signs were removed
Der Strumer removed from newsstands

19. African American Success
Jesse Owens becomes an American hero of the Olympics
Other African Americans also won many medals

20. Jewish Athletes And The Games
The seven Jewish American athletes were pressured to boycott the Games
They would have boycotted if the entire American team boycotted
Saw themselves as American athletes of Jewish origin who were chosen to represent their country
Two Jewish athletes removed from the 4 x 100 relay team

21. Kristallnacht

22. Kristallnacht Herschel Grynszpan shoots Ernst von Rath
He dies two days later, Nov. 9, 1938
Provides Josef Goebbels, the Propaganda Minister, with an excuse to launch a pogrom against the Jews

23. Kristallnacht The *pogram was called Kristallnacht
Night of the Broken Glass
Gangs of Nazi youth broke windows of Jewish businesses and homes, burned synagogues, and looted
101 synagogues burned
7,500 Jewish businesses destroyed
26,000 Jews arrested and 91 died
*An organized massacre of a particular ethnic group, in particular that of Jews in Russia or eastern Europe.
The Hamburg-America Line sold visas to 907 Jews for $150-$300 dollars each so they could leave Germany and sail to Cuba. Cuba was a popular destination for German Jews since it was away from Europe and it was very close to the United States. 734 of these people were already on the U.S. quota waiting list. In addition to the exit visas, they paid about $150 for a landing certificate in Cuba. On May 5, 1939, the president of Cuba signed Decree No. 937, making all the landing certificates invalid. Though the Hamberg-American Line knew this, no one on board the St. Louis was aware of this problem.
However, during the two week voyage to Havana, the landing certificates granted by the Cuban director general of immigration in lieu of regular visas were invalidated by the pro-fascist Cuban government. When the St. Louis arrived in Havana on May 27 only 22 Jewish refugees were allowed entry. 23

24. Kristallnacht
The official German position was that they were spontaneous outbursts
stayed in the Cuban Harbor for 5 days while trying to negotiate a deal to let them enter. The St. Louis made front page headlines in all the world's major papers. 24

25. Kristallnacht

26. Kristallnacht
November 12th, Goering calls a meeting of top Nazi leadership to access damage and place responsibility for it.
It was decided that since Jews were to blame for these events, they be held legally and financially responsible for the damages
(287 to Great Britain; 214 to Belgium; 224 to France; 181 to the Netherlands).
Those that went to Belgium, France and the Netherlands were soon trapped as Hitler's armies invaded Western Europe and perished as victims of the Nazi Final Solution.
Why did the United States and other countries turn their back on the Jews of the St. Louis and other refugees? There were many reasons.
1. Anti-Semitism, fear that some refugees might be Nazi agents, fear that refugees would take jobs from American workers and lower wages, fear that resources from the country would be stretched.
2. that there were only 500,000 Jews in Germany, but there were millions more in Poland, Hungary, Austria, and other countries. If the United States opened their borders to the German Jews, wouldn't other countries force their Jews to leave, too? Could any nation take so many immigrants so suddenly without ruining itself? The Jews of Europe had no way out. 26

27. Kristallnacht Damages
There were massive insurance claims from the damages of Kristallnacht
Jews themselves would be billed for the damage and that any insurance money due them would be confiscated by the State

28. Kristallnacht
Was a crucial turning point in German policy regarding Jews
Is considered as the actual beginning of the Holocaust
From the beginning of the modern Olympics, events outside the world of sport affected the Games. World War I forced the cancellation of the 1916 games scheduled for Berlin
1920- held in Antwerp, Belgium, but Germany and any country that had been its ally in World War I were not invited.
1924- Paris, France, but they did not invite Germany to send a team
1928, 10 years after World War I, that Germany was invited and they finished second in the total medal count, behind the U.S.
1932- Los Angelas, USA- many athletes could not attend due to the depression and it was too expensive to send teams.
Berlin chosen in 1931 in order to give them time to prepare
Nazi sport stressed the health and strength. Images of German athletes helped spread the myth of “Aryan” racial superiority and physical power. Artists drew athletes with well-developed muscles and heroic strength and emphasized the ideal Aryan facial features- blue eyes and blond hair
The amount of time in schools devoted to physical education increased dramatically. Cross-country, soccer, and boxing were added to the curriculum because the Nazis believed that these sports promoted a spirit of attack and physical superiority. Poor performance in sports could result in a student’s being expelled from school.
Motto of the Hitler Youth was “Fuehrer, command- we follow!” By 1939, nearly nine million boys and girls belonged to Nazi youth groups for children ten years and older.
Joseph Goebbels convinced Hitler the Olympics was an opportunity to show the world the “new Germany” They also viewed the Olympics as a chance to increase the flow of desired foreign money into Germany. 28

29. Kristallnacht
After Kristallnacht, laws were passed to Aryanize the German economy
“Non-Aryan” or Jewish or part Jewish and Gypsy athletes were excluded from German sport associations and from public pools, gyms, and other sport facilities. Their opportunities to compete were limited. The policy was reported in the New York Times on May 29th, 1933.
Many had to leave Germany and compete in other countries. In April 1933, the German Boxing Federation expelled amateur Erich Seelig because he was Jewish. Seelig later resumed his boxing career in England and then emigrated to the United States. Many of these stories were reported in the New York Times. 29

30. Kristallnacht
Of critical importance, at this meeting Goering announced, “I have received a letter written on the Fuhrer’s orders requesting that the Jewish question be now, once and for all, coordinated and solved one way or another.”
AAU took the position in Nov to decline the invitation to Berlin unless German Jewish athletes were allowed to train and compete for the Olympics. The AAU’s stand was important, because this organization, along with the AOC determined which American athletes qualified for the team.
In the middle of 1934, the Nazi Government attempted to show that German Athletes were being treated fairly. Reich Sports Office reported that 21 Jews had been invited to train at special Olympics courses. The President of the AOC, Avery Brundage went to Germany and went on a brief controlled tour of German sport facilities led by Nazi Officials. He stated publicly that Jewish athletes were being treated fairly and the games would go on as planned. 30