Anti-Semitic Laws Represented in the Postal System
Hitler was elected chancellor in January 1933, and as he consolidated his power and reshaped the Reich, his handiwork became apparent in the postal system. His new laws, intended Aryanize the future of Germany, singled out the Jews. There are numerous effects of Hitler’s anti-Semitic laws on the mail.
Article One of the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and the State
After a fire in the Reichstag (the German Parliament building), the Nazis passed Article One of the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and the State on February 28, 1933. The decree established the Schutzhaft (protective custody), giving the Nazis unlimited power to arrest and detain their opponents without cause, supposedly to guard them from the “wrath of the general public.” These Schutzhäftlinge (protective prisoners) were then sent to one of the newly established concentration camps. However, this “protective custody” did not shield prisoners from the Nazis themselves. from the arbitrary and sadistic abuses of their captors.
Mail coming from the camps such as Auschwitz, Dachau, and Buchenwald often includes the term Schutzhäftlinge to refer to someone who is being held in custody. I address this further in my article “A Study in Philatelic Usage of the Term Schutzhaft (Protective Custody)” (Israel Philatelist, 58(6): 220–223).
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws were enacted during the Nazi party’s 1935 national convention, which took place in Nuremberg, Germany, in September. Once of the most important laws was the Reich Citizenship Law, depriving German Jews of their citizenship and all pertinent, related rights. The first decree of this law carefully established definitions of Jewishness based on bloodlines rather than religion. Those who had only one Jewish grandparent, called Mischlinge, were considered Jewish and could be subjected to discrimination.
ARTICLE 2
- The provisions of Article I shall apply also to Subjects who are of mixed Jewish blood.
- An individual of mixed Jewish blood is one who is descended from one or two grandparents who, racially, were full Jews, insofar that he is not a Jew according to Section 2 of Article V. Full-blooded Jewish grandparents are those who belonged to the Jewish religious community.
The second was the Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor. This outlawed marriages of Jews and non-Jews, forbade Jews from hiring German female domestics under the age of forty-five, and prevented them from flying the Reich flag.
SECTION 1
1. Marriages between Jews and nationals of German or kindred blood are forbidden. Marriages concluded in defiance of this law are void, even if, for the purpose of evading this law, they are concluded abroad.
2. Proceedings for annulment may be initiated only by the Public Prosecutor.
SECTION 2
Relations outside marriage between Jews and nationals for German or kindred blood are forbidden.
SECTION 3
Jews will not be permitted to employ female nationals of German or kindred blood in their households.
SECTION 4
1. Jews are forbidden to hoist the Reich and national flag and to present the colors of the Reich.
2. On the other hand they are permitted to present the Jewish colors. The exercise of this authority is protected by the State.
These laws included additional regulations that provided the basis for removing the Jews from all spheres of German political, social, and economic life. Further sections of this law cited severe penalties for those who did not comply (Leni Yahil. 1991. The Holocaust: The Fate of European Jewry. Translated by Ina Friedman and Haya Galai. New York: Oxford University Press).
Postal Example
The Nuremberg Laws are illustrated on the back of this voter registration card. The card was mailed to and from Vienna, and the handstamp on the front indicates that the person voted.
The back of the card informs the voter of the upcoming election, polling place, and dates.
The bottom paragraph defines who can vote, which is where the First Decree of the Reich Citizenship Law is illustrated. The translation of the bottom paragraph is as follows:
A person who exercises his right to vote even though he has been denied that privilege, or he is a Jew, or it is known to him that he has at least three grandparents were Jews, or is a product of a mixed marriage (at least two Jewish grandparents) and married to a Jew, is required to return this voter registration care to the district office and is expected to stay away from the voting place. If he does otherwise, he is subject to heavy punishment.
Law on Alteration of Family and Personal Names
On August 17, 1938, the government passed the Law on Alteration of Family and Personal Names, which required Jews to add an obviously Jewish middle name to all legal: Sara for females and Israel for males. The law also required that Jewish newborns be given Jewish names and were prohibited from bearing German names.
ARTICLE 1
- Jews may receive only those first names which are listed in the directives of the Ministry Of The Interior concerning the use of first names.
- This provision does not apply to Jews of a foreign nationality.
ARTICLE 2
- If Jews should bear first names other than those permitted to Jews according to Paragraph I, they must, as of 1st January, 1939, adopt an additional name. For males, that name shall be Israel, for females Sara.
Postal Examples
Sara
This letter, sent from Hannover, Germany, to Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was postmarked October 11, 1939. Note the return address has the Sara middle name.
The return address on the back of this envelope contains two examples of the Sara middle name: 1) the writer of the correspondence, Jenny “Sara” Floersheim and 2) the person who brought it to the post office (Hildegard “Sara” Horn). According to postal regulations, Horn was required to sign the envelope because the letter did not originate with her. This cover also includes Floersheim’s identity card number: J for Jude, Berlin, and her assigned number.
Israel
This letter was sent on July 14, 1941, to Shanghai, China. The return address contains the required Israel middle name.
The following letter was sent from Vineland, New Jersey, on October 23, 1941, before the United States entered the war. It is addressed to Paul “Israel” Herzberg in Essen, Germany. When the letter arrived in Germany, the addressee was not found, so it was marked Zurück (return to sender). The letter returned to the States on August 31, 1942, after the United States had joined the war effort.
Fourth Decree of the Reich Citizenship Law
This decree, from July 25, 1938, revoked licenses of Jewish physicians and dentists. In order to practice, they had to get a permit and could treat only Jews.
Section III
1. Jews, whose appointment approval has expired and who have not received an authorization, by virtue of Section II, are forbidden to practice medicine.
2. A Jew who has received an authorization by virtue of Section II must, with the exception of his wife and legitimate children, only treat Jews.
Section IV
A Jew cannot be licensed as a physician [or dentist].
Postal Example
Ludwig “Israel” Lewinter was a dentist practicing in Vienna. The return address of this cover indicates that his practice is limited to Jews: he is a Zugelassener jüdischer Zahnbehandler (authorized Jewish caretaker of teeth).
Fifth Decree of the Reich Citizenship Law
This law, passed on September 27, 1938, revoked the licenses of Jewish lawyers. Jews were prevented from practicing their profession, and their degrees were taken away. Jewish lawyers were could not stand before the bar: they could only advise or be a Konsulent (consultant) to Jewish clients.
ARTICLE 1
The admission of lawyers who… are of non-Aryan descent, may be cancelled till September 30, 1933.
ARTICLE 2
Persons who… are of non-Aryan descent, may be refused permission to practice law….
Postal Example
This cover, sent by a lawyer with the Israel middle name, reflects this law. The cover is marked with a handstamp which has the word Konsulent (consultant) under the lawyer’s name. The bottom of the handstamp reads “Licensed solely for the legal counseling and representation of Jews.”
Decree on the Confiscation of Jewish Property
CHAPTER I Industrial Enterprises
ARTICLE 1
The owner of a Jewish industrial enterprise… may be ordered to sell or liquidate the enterprise within a definite time. Certain conditions may be stipulated in the order.
ARTICLE 2
1. A trustee may be appointed for Jewish industrial enterprises, the owners of which have been ordered to sell or liquidate (Article 1), for the temporary continuation of the enterprise and for the completion of the sale or liquidation, especially if the owner of the enterprise has not complied with the order within the definite period and his application for an extension of time has been rejected.
2. The trustee (Treühander) is empowered to undertake all judicial and extra-judicial actions and legal measures, which the business of the enterprise, its liquidation or sale, require. His authority replaces any legally required power of attorney.
Postal Example
This cover is from a Jewish firm in Bedzin. As the handstamp, indicates this firm is now being handled through a Treühander appointed by the order of December 3 to handle business.
These anti-Semitic laws were passed to make Jews second-class citizens with no rights. This was the first step in dehumanizing Jews and preparing them for the final solution. The examples shown illustrate how these laws are reflected in the postal system. As each law appeared, it had implications on professions, on legal documents, and in the mail.
Bibliography
Gordon, Justin. “A Study in Philatelic Usage of the Term Schutzhaft (Protective Custody).” Israel Philatelist, 58 (6): 220–223.
Yahil, Leni. 1991. The Holocaust: The Fate of European Jewry. Translated by Ina Friedman and Haya Galai. New York: Oxford University Press.