The Persecution and Murder of the European Jews by Nazi Germany, 1933 1945: German Reich 1938– August 1939

This 16-volume collection presents an extensive selection of primary sources on the persecution and murder of the European Jews under the German National Socialist regime. The documents illustrate the political and social background and developments that brought about this unprecedented mass crime in Germany and throughout Europe.The series is aimed at teachers, researchers, students, and anyone interested in learning about and reflecting on the history of the Holocaust. As well as providing a scholarly reference work, it seeks to contribute to the commemoration of the murdered Jews of Europe. Each volume comprises English translations of primary sources - most of them previously unpublished - that record events from the perspective of perpetrators, victims, and those not directly involved in the crimes. The documents are accompanied by explanatory annotations. Executive editor: Susanne Heim; English-language edition prepared by: Caroline Pearce and Dorothy Mas This volume documents the persecution of the Jews in the German Reich between January 1938 and the end of August 1939. In the months between the Anschluss of Austria and the start of the Second World War, the Nazi leadership plunged Jewish life further into crisis. ‘Aryanization', bureaucratically organized expulsions, and ultimately the pogrom in November 1938 meant that for more and more Jews, life was untenable. At the same time, it became increasingly difficult to emigrate. In the aftermath of the pogrom of 9 November 1938, Morris Troper from the Jewish aid organization JDC (Joint Distribution Committee) recorded: ‘What is to become of the Jews in the next few weeks is altogether uncertain. Even if the disorders and arrests come to an end, the basis of the existence of German Jewry has been wiped out.'Learn more about the PMJ on https://pmj-documents.org/ "This source edition on the persecution and murder of the European Jews by Nazi Germany presents in 16 volumes a thematically comprehensive selection of documents on the Holocaust. Volume 1 addresses the persecution of the German Jews between 1933 and 1937, revealing how the disenfranchisement and social isolation of the Jews was driven forward, and which role terror, state calculations, and the indifference of very many Germans played"-- Provided by publisher