Hitler’s excitement knew no bounds. The Nazi ascendency and that of the Communists, made governing with a stable parliament virtually impossible, forcing the use of emergency powers levied by the president. Much internal fighting and bargaining took place in these last few years of Weimar, but Hitler would eventually prevail and organize a dictatorship fulfilling his dream.
Albert completed his graduate course in finance at Oxford in 1928 and took a job at an established Polish bank in Warsaw. He was responsible for coordinating relationships between Poland, Germany, and Great Britain. He and his wife had a daughter. Albert, now a resident of Poland, was happy in his adopted, stable country, although his job, of necessity, took him back and forth between Poland, Germany and Great Britain.
Sam completed his surgical training in 1928, and he and his wife also had a daughter. The two young army veterans were hoping for a stable future, but unstable times persisted…
Conditions, based on increasing anti-Semitism engendered by roving Nazi bands, caused concern for what the future might hold should the Nazis ever gain full power.
Some Jews in Germany at the time, especially Jewish World War I veterans, were unhappy about their fellow Jews who had emigrated from the country because they feared the Nazi agenda. They felt protected by current law, but such thoughts proved to be extremely naive, probably a gross underestimation of Adolph Hitler’s mind-set. Those unhappy Jews failed to grasp the intensity of Hitler’s anti-Jewish hatred and his devotion to one man rule, implemented by whatever means necessary. The Jews took comfort in the moderate views of Vice-Chancellor von Papen and other non-Nazi political figures given to similar moderate political ideas. They also found some assurance from the in-fighting within the Nazi party itself, not realizing until too late Hitler’s extreme methods for dealing with dissent.
And those methods were demonstrated most convincingly with respect to Ernst Rohm who was head of the Sturm Abteilung (S.A.) a para-military element of the Nazi Party formed in 1923.
Like Adolph Hitler, Rohm was awarded an Iron Cross, was wounded in World War I, ended the war as a Captain, and was counted among the 100,000 man German army allowed under the treaty of Versailles. After his war service, he fought the communists as a leader in the Bavarian Freicorps.
Rohm joined the German Worker’s Party the same year as Adolph Hitler, 1919, while he was still an officer in the military. Hitler took note of this man who also was in the failed Beer Hall Putsch, and assigned him to develop the S.A., the Sturmabteilung, or Storm detachment, the original paramilitary wing of the fledgling Nazi Party which played a significant role in protecting Nazi rallies, disrupting meetings of opposing parties such as the Communists, and intimidating and harassing Gypsys and Jews. Unsatisfied by Rohm’s efforts, Hitler fired Rohm, prompting him to quit the Nazi Party and take a position as advisor to the Bolivian army. But when Hitler’s election results improved, he rehired Rohm as Chief of Staff of the S.A. in January 1931. Owing to the Great Depression, German citizens supported the Nazi Party in droves, and by 1933, Rohm was at the head of a three million man S.A., which put him in opposition to the German military who was very nervous over the S.A.’s rapid growth. But Hitler needed the German army for his future plans, so he had to silence Rohm. Not a problem for anyone potentially standing in Hitler’s way; he had Rohm assassinated.
Germany’s 525,000 Jews viewed this all with great concern, but had no unity to protest, or at least make their voices heard. Many saw the handwriting on the wall and emigrated. Others, led by Rabbi Leo Baeck attempted to form a unified Jewish organization, The Representative Council for Jews in Germany, to speak for them. Not being able to overcome Hitler’s hatred and power, as history would prove, they failed.
German Jews, as opposed to Eastern European Jews, are considered as having birthed modern Judaism, a significant change from the strict orthodoxy of Eastern European Jews who mostly clustered in ghetto areas and adhered to the strict super-religious orthodoxy of old. There were no ghetto walls in Germany as the German Jews assimilated completely and became loyal German citizens. But when Hitler’s name and philosophy became known, they were unprepared for what would be a fight for their very survival. Most German Jews considered the anti-Semitism smoldering under the surface as a part of ancient history, and in the early 1930’s the German Jews were confused and unprepared for what would occur. In fact, many German Jews were reluctant to protest the Nazis for fear of calling attention to the Nazi’s poisonous philosophy. When Great Britain began to boycott German goods, the Berlin Jewish community called Great Britain’s Chief Rabbi urging them to stop the boycott to prevent bad publicity about Germany. Not to be outdone, Jewish war veterans attacked those Jews who fled Germany insisting that German laws would protect Jewish citizens. The opinions varied as to what the Nazis could do to their Jewish citizens, since they did not hold a majority in the parliament. Many Jews pinned hopes on non-Nazi members of the Weimar Republic, pointing out that the Nazi designation of Jews as “enemies of the State” was totally false, and the assertions made about all Nazis were false. Such illusions would soon be demolished as the Nazis gained unexpected strength.
CHAPTER 14
Anti-Semitic Legislation by end of 1933
Those who knew of the Nazis were perfectly aware that anti-Semitism was a cornerstone of Nazi policy, but before Hitler took power that thesis was only in writing, penned by an as yet mostly unknown organization with no power to make it part of government policy. Hitler’s twenty-five points developed in 1920 when he took over the fledgling Nazi Party stated that “Jews could never be a part of Aryan society.” When the Nazis took control of the German government, anti-Jewish decrees issued forth.
1933 December, Sam wrote to Al. (the stated facts in the letters are all true)…
Dear Al:
I hope you and your family are well. I’m sure you know that Hitler has assumed full power here in Germany; who doesn’t? The world must know, but will they care? We’ll soon find out exactly what it means, but the German Jewish Community is worried to say the least, and they fail in their efforts to reverse the trend. Hitler took power in 1933, and it didn’t take him long to implement anti-Jewish laws. One of the first things that happened was when the Berlin Mayor got rid of all Jewish doctors working in the city’s social welfare services. On April 7, 1933 Hitler issued his first anti-Jewish law “Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service.” Also in April, a new law restricted the number of Jewish students at schools and Universities.
And it looks to me that Hitler doesn’t make these laws by himself for the whole country, because the mayor of Munich, just like the one in Berlin, said that Jewish doctors cannot treat non-Jewish patients, and the Bavarian minister said that Jews cannot attend medical school. Now these guys are doing things that would be impossible in a democracy, but with a dictator in power in a dictatorship, and as long as Hitler agrees, his subordinates have free reign to do what they want.
It tells me that anti-Semitism is now blossoming out and is unencumbered by laws. I guess that could spell doom for guys like me in my early days as a physician, but so far nothing’s happened here in Berlin. Maybe it’s just a matter of time. It’s very uncomfortable having to work knowing all this. Either we’ll have to work in another city, or leave the country. I can’t imagine any other option.
Knowing Hitler’s hatred of Jews, I’m beginning to envision no future for Jews in Germany. Is he trying to get us all to get the hell out, or does he have worse in store for us. Anything is possible with this mad man!
Again, in April, another law stopped all Jews from being admitted to the bar. How do they practice? I guess that’s the idea. It looks like they can’t.
Now he came up with an idea about overcrowding in schools. Since
