Ideology Nazis believed in racial superiority u Believed

Ideology Nazis believed in racial superiority u Believed that this was a scientific fact u Any groups below the Aryans and Nordic races were inferior u Jews were not only considered an inferior race but were accused of being responsible for many of the problems Germany was experiencing. u

Anti-semitism has long history in Europe. u Accused of being “Christ-killers” although that is not true. u Deprived of the same rights other groups enjoyed. u Forced to live in ghettos throughout Europe u During the Crusades an entire town was massacred in Germany u Hitler didn’t create anti-semitism, he merely exploited it. u However, between 1933 -1937 125 laws were passed against the Jews u

Nuremberg Laws 1935 u They created legal basis for persecution u These laws deprived Jews of German citizenship, denied them the right to work in certain professions and declared that all marriages between Jews and Aryans were illegal.

Nuremberg Laws u Intermarriages were declared null & void and became illegal u Jews were banned from civil service posts, government, hospital, court, educational jobs u Jewish books were publicly burned u Jews were required to have a “J” on their passports and identity cards

Jewish Passport

Nazi Indocrination Against Jews u German children were taught that Jews were inferior and had certain physical characteristics. u German newspapers such as Der Sturmer ranted against the Jews weekly. u There trademark on each paper was “Die Juden sind unsere ungluck” The Jews are our misfortune.

How to recognize Jews?

u Just as it’s difficult to tell the difference between a poisonous & edible mushroom so too, is it often difficult to recognize the Jew as swindler & criminal.

Baptism Doesn’t Make Him a Christian

How Jews Cheat in Business

How Jews Torment Animals

When you see a cross remember how the Jews brutally murdered Christ

Money is the God of the Jews

Unless we solve the Jewish Question there can be no salvation for mankind

Kristallnacht 1938 u u Government sponsored destruction of Jewish property, synagogues, stores Germans wrote “Do not buy from Jews” on store windows and had Nazis stand outside. u Afterwards Jewish communities were given bill by gov to clean up the mess created u Approx 20, 000 Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps

Emigration u Hitler favored “emigration” as a solution to the “Jewish problem”. u However, most countries refused to allow Jewish immigration u German foreign minister stated “We all want to get rid of our Jews. The difficulty is that no country wishes to receive them” u Evian Conference made this clear

Evian Conference u Proposed by FDR u Attended by 33 countries u No country agreed to expand quotas for immigration u FDR urged that more be allowed in but State Dept made it “not happen”.

Evian Conference

Ghettos u Hitler ordered that Jews be sent to ghettos – segregated & dismal areas u They were sealed with barbed wire & stone walls. u It was hoped that Jews would die of disease or starvation. u Jews formed resistance organizations & kept their traditions

Concentration Camps u At first were built for political prisoners such as Communists and Social Democrats who were declared illegal by Nazi party in 1933. u Later anyone who opposed Nazis were sent there

Wannsee Conference 1941 u Conference specifically devoted to how to kill Jews more efficiently. u Their current methods took too long and were too messy. u Nazis

Genocide u Systematic and deliberate annihilation of a group due to their race, ethnicity or nationality

Why Didn’t Jews Emigrate? Early on Hitler said he would gladly have the Jews leave – even on a luxury cruiser. u However, he refused to allow them transfer any of their wealth/mone. u 137, 000 Jews did leave between 19331937 u Evian Conference - Europe u 1924 National Origins Act - US u British White Paper - Palestine u

US Immigration Policy u 1921 Immigration law reversed longtradition of open immigration from Europe u The law limited the # of immigrants from any country by imposing quotas. u 1924 National Origins Act was even more restrictive.

What was the US Quota for Jews? u The number of Jews/Germans to be allowed into the US during these years was 25, 000 u This was hardly enough to meet the needs of the Jews

British Policy in Palestine u British White Paper – British had a mandate in Palestine. – Limited Jewish immigration to Palestine to 5000 a year due to Arab opposition. – As tensions rose in Europe the British didn’t want to alienate Arabs or cause them to support Nazis – Result is that Jews were prevented from immigrating to Palestine when they desperately needed to.

They came first for the Communists. . but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews. . . but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Unionists. . . but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Unionist. Then they came for the Catholic. . . but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me. . . and by that time. . . there was no-one left to speak up for me. Rev. Martin Niemoller, commenting on events in Germany 1933 -193