With the "Police Ordinance on the Marking of Jews" all Jews in the German Reich are obliged to wear the "Jewish Star". The regulation comes into force on September 19, 1941.
by Maren Stiebert
When asked about compulsory marking for Jews, Adolf Hitler told a journalist during a speech to district leaders of the NSDAP in 1937:This "problem of marking" has been continuously considered for two or three years and will of course be implemented one day or another. "Because:The ultimate goal of our entire policy is very clear to all of us."
Mandatory to wear one last step before deportation
Millions of Jews were victims of expulsion and murder during the Nazi era.Around four years later, on September 19, 1941, the "Police Ordinance on the Marking of Jews" came into force. It made Jews wear a yellow star on their clothing. For those who wear it, it means social isolation and stigmatization. Discrimination, disenfranchisement and exclusion experienced a further increase. The introduction of the yellow Star of David, called the "Star of David" in Nazi propaganda, was one of the last measures taken by the National Socialists before the deportation began.
Branded and Taunted
The inscription "Jew" was designed to ridicule the Hebrew script.The palm-sized badge, based on the hexagram of Maggen-David (Star of David), had to be worn visibly on the left side of the clothing by all Jews aged six and over. The inscription "Jew" was designed to mock the Hebrew script. Forced by the Gestapo, the Jewish community had to sell the stars themselves for 10 pfennigs each. Jews who were married to a non-Jewish partner, i.e. living in a so-called privileged mixed marriage, were exempt from the obligation to wear them.
Recourse to anti-Semitic tradition of the Middle Ages
When choosing the defamatory symbol, the National Socialists drew on the centuries-old history of anti-Semitism. As early as the Middle Ages, Jews were forced to wear certain badges almost everywhere in Christian Europe. Depending on the country or area, they usually had to wear yellow spots, stars or rings on their clothing or put on the so-called Jew hat.
In Germany-occupied Poland, the "yellow star" was compulsory for all Jews from November 1939.
Regulations and laws sealed the exclusion
Women, children and old people also became victims of the systematic extermination of the Jews.The gradual disenfranchisement and exclusion of the Jews began only a few months after the National Socialists took power. Ever new laws and regulations had degrading effects on their lives. Their economic existence was gradually destroyed by occupational bans and expropriations of companies. And they were pushed out of public life:Jews were restricted from going out, children were no longer allowed to attend public schools, and they were forbidden from entering theatres, cinemas or museums. The inscription "Only for Aryans" was emblazoned on park benches, and signs warning "Jews are not welcome here" hung at the entrances to restaurants.
From October 1938 all Jews had to give up their passports. The authorities only issued a limited number of new ID cards; they were marked with a stamped "J". From the beginning of 1939, Jews had to carry identity cards with them and adopt a compulsory first name. Men were given the suffix "Israel", women the name "Sara".
Ghettoization on the eve of the deportations
Today, "stumbling blocks" in front of house entrances show where Jews lived before they were deported.One of the countless restrictions was the aforementioned police ordinance of September 1941. It not only included the obligation to wear the "Jewish Star" markings. She also forbade Jews from wearing medals and other decorations, and also ensured that they were no longer allowed to leave their residential area without police permission. This meant a further step in the process of ghettoization, which had already been initiated by the "Law on Jewish Tenancy" of April 30, 1939. "Aryan" landlords could therefore give notice to Jews at any time without notice, provided new accommodation was available. At the same time, the law obliged Jews who had housing to take in homeless people.
The result was the emergence of so-called Jewish houses. Every change of residence had to be precisely registered with the support of the Jewish community. From April 1, 1942, the apartments were also marked with a "Jewish Star" next to the nameplate. The registration, spatial consolidation and marking of the Jews offered the National Socialists the possibility of "perfect" surveillance. The measures subsequently enabled the planned deportation and murder of the Jews.