-
Before 1933
World War 1 had caused a lot of emotional and economic damage to European nations. In 1933, over 9 million Jews lived in Europe (1.7% of the total population)—working and raising families in the harsh reality of the worldwide economic depression. Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor during this year. link text -
Röhm Affair
Hitler wanted to get rid of the highest ruling rank in the Nazi political party . -
Ban on Jehovah’s Witness Organizations
The German government bans Jehovah’s Witness organizations. It is because of his refusal to swear allegiance to the state, as their religion prevents them from doing so. -
Olympic Games Open in Berlin
Berlin hosted the Olympics. Germans removed all anti-Jewish signs, allowed homosexuality to foreigners for the duration of the Olympics, and even allowed a one part-Jew, the fencer Helene Mayer, on its Olympic team. -
Buchenwald Concentration Camp Opens
SS authorities open the Buchenwald concentration camp for male prisoners in east-central Germany. Women were not included in these camps until late 1943 or early 1944. The camp was heavily protected from the outside and very cruel and harsh on the inside. Many Jews suffered and died a slow, agonizing death. -
German Annexation of Austria
On March 11–13, 1938, German troops invade Austria and incorporate Austria into the German Reich in what is known as the Anschluss. There was violence against Jewish people and property. -
German Jews’ Passports Declared Invalid
German government insisted that all Jews in Germany should identify themselves by having a "J" on their passports so that they become valid. -
St. Louis Sets Sail
On May 13, 1939, the German ship, St. Louis sets sail from Hamburg, Germany, for Havana, Cuba carrying 900 passengers, almost all of them Jews fleeing from Nazi Germany. Most of them applied for a visa and intended to sail to Cuba then move to the U.S. Sadly, things didn't go as planned, as the two countries rejected their entry, which forced them to return to Europe. This incident shows how badly the Jews were treated and how much they wanted to escape.
