In May 1934, an order was issued which prohibited Jewish people from having health insurance. This meant Jews could no longer receive free health care and would have to pay for any treatments that they needed. Some treatments could be expensive and often Jews could not pay, as their businesses had slumped and they had been dismissed from certain jobs, so they either had to suffer in Germany or leave so they could receive treatment.
Also in 1934, anti-Jewish propaganda increased. Hitler used the media for propaganda to change other people’s thoughts on Jews. The Nazis realised that if they did not change other people’s thoughts on Jews they would not be able to get away with their persecutions on the Jews later because the non Jewish public would rebel against their actions. They used the media in a variety of ways, through the cinema, the Nazis made Anti-Semitic films showing how evil Jews were; they usually took the role as the evil characters in the films. Children’s story books were rewritten to portray Jews as cruel. Anti-Semitic Posters were also posted all round Germany with messages such as, “He (the Jew) is responsible for the war.” The Nazi’s also held public book burnings. They burnt books that were written by anyone anti-Nazi and Jewish authors. Loyal Nazis ransacked libraries to remove any 'offending' books.
Then in May 1935, Jews were no longer allowed to join the army as they were seen as inferior and Hitler believed they were unreliable. This would have infuriated many Jews as they had fought in World War One for Germany and now they were no longer allowed to protect their own country.
The Nuremberg Laws were passed, in 1935, these stated that, marriages between Jews and citizens of German blood were forbidden. Sexual relations between Jews and citizens of German blood were forbidden. Jews were not permitted to employ female citizens of German blood under 45 years of age as domestic help. No Jew could become a German citizen.
These laws took away the Jews civil rights and it showed that the Nazis believed that the Jews were too inferior to have relationships with Germans.
Whilst Germany was hosting the 1936 Olympic Games, in Berlin, there was a let-up in the Anti-Jewish campaign. All Nazi propaganda was taken down to ensure the rest of the word did not find out about the Nazi’s campaign. This was done because Hitler knew that if other countries found about their persecutions on the Jews war would be declared and Germany was not yet ready to go to war.
In September 1937, for the first time in two years Hitler made a public speech which attacked the Jews. He stated that the Aryanisation of business was to be increased this meant that more Jewish business’s were confiscated.
Jews had to register their property in April 1938. The main reason for this was so that it was easier to confiscate. The Nazis confiscated property because they thought if the Jews had nowhere to live, they would leave.
Jewish doctors, dentists and layers were forbidden to treat Aryans after the June to July period in 1938. This again made it very difficult for Jews to gain money therefore making every other aspect of life difficult.
In October 1938 all Jewish passports had to be stamped with a red J this helped to track the movement of Jews and made it easier to see how many Jews were leaving the country. If not many Jews were emigrating the persecution would be stepped up or more Jews would be placed in concentration camps.
Then on 9th November 1938, the persecution of Jews was taken to a horrifying new level. The SA destroyed over 7500 Jewish shops and burnt down 400 synagogues. Jews were also beaten and 26,000 arrested and sent to concentration camps. Up until this time these camps had been mainly for political prisoners. This is known as Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass. The only people who were punished for the crimes committed on Kristallnacht were the SA members who had raped Jewish women because they had broken the Nuremberg Laws.
After Kristallnacht, the number of Jews wishing to leave Germany increased dramatically. It has been calculated that between 1933 and 1939, approximately half the Jewish population of Germany, 250,000, left the country. This included several Jewish scientists who were to play an important role in the fight against fascism during the war. A higher number of Jews would have left but anti-Semitism was not restricted to Germany and many countries were reluctant to take them.
In November 1938 Jews were made to pay one billion marks for the damage caused by Kristallnacht because much of the property that was damaged was only rented by the Jews from German owners. This was almost impossible for Jews to pay as the Nazis had made it very difficult raise finance by taking away their businesses and by dismissing them from certain professions.
Life was then made bad for Jewish children, in November 1938, they were no longer allowed to attend German schools but had to attend all Jewish schools instead. This was so German children did not make friends with Jewish children. Hitler did not want this to happen because he knew that German children were the next generation and if wanted his persecutions on the Jews to continue he must make them hate the Jews as well.
Then in December 1938 the remaining Jewish businesses were confiscated. This meant only a very small number of Jews were employed making life exceptionally difficult for them.
Then in January 1939 laws were put into place to take away the identity of Jews. All male Jews had to add the name ‘Israel’ and all female Jews the name ‘Sara’ to their first names. This degraded the Jews it made them feel more like animals than people. Also the Reich Office for Jewish Emigration was established to promote emigration ‘by every possible means’ even though the Nazi’s knew this was nearly impossible for Jews to do as they had very little money.
World War Two then began in September 1939 and the persecution of the Jews in Germany and Eastern Europe became horrendous.