Unit 3
Jewish life under Nazi rule 1933–39
3.1 How did life change for German Jews? Michael Siegel
Activities
Dr Michael Siegel was a German Jew who worked as a lawyer in Munich. When one of his clients was unlawfully arrested, he went to the police headquarters to Dr Siegel is forced to march through Munich make a complaint. by Stormtroopers, There Michael was 10 March 1933. attacked by Nazi Stormtroopers, who knocked out several teeth and burst one of his eardrums. Then, they hung a board around his neck which said, ‘I will never again complain to the police’ and marched him through Munich.
1 What can we learn from Michael Siegel’s experience about the changes taking place in Germany in March 1933?
2 What are the similarities between the images on this page (Dr Siegel and Figure 3.1)? What messages do you think the Nazis were sending to the German people by discriminating against Germany’s Jews in this way?
Early persecution In the weeks and months after the Nazis came to power, thousands of Jews left Germany, but most decided to stay. Some didn’t believe the Nazis would be in power for long. Others simply did not want to give up their homes and leave a country they loved. At first, the Nazis appeared to be most concerned with crushing their political opponents. However, it was also very clear that they intended to put their antisemitic beliefs into action. Violence against Jewish people became more frequent, and discrimination against Jews soon became accepted.
Figure 3.1 On 1 April 1933, the Nazis tried to persuade people not to use shops owned by Jews. In this image, a crowd of Germans gather in front of a Jewishowned department store in Berlin, 1 April 1933. Signs on the shop tell Germans not to buy from Jews.
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9781510480377 KS3 Understanding the Holocaust.indb 34
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