October 24, 2016 Monday
Bedtime Story
Expulsion/Deportation Begins in 1938: Starting with Polish Jews
Expulsion/Deportation Begins in 1938: Starting with Polish Jews
In the 1920s, the Jews were very well integrated in the German
society.
It all started in 1933 with the rise of Hitler after the Reichstag
Fire when the new Civil Service Law was passed banning all Jews or non-Aryans
to occupy any government posts.
It was soon extended to all professions, whether government or
private.
In short, these new laws greatly curbed their right to make a
living, right to educate themselves and in general, rights of a full
citizenship.
Still there was no deportation; not yet.
Then in 1938, all foreigners, especially Jews of foreign origins
were ordered to leave Germany.
Polish Jews being the most in number were the prime target.
Their misery was supplemented and aggravated when Poland refused
to accept them.
As they were getting ferried in the police trucks and lorries to
the German border, ordinary Germans on the streets were shouting with contempt
and utter scorn:
“Jews out, out to Palestine!”
Of the 12,000 Polish Jews who were getting expelled was a family
by the name of Sendel and Riva Grynszpan who had settled in Hanover and worked
as a tailor to make a living.
They had 6 children only 3 of whom survived their childhood to
become adults.
The youngest of them was Herschel Grynszpan who facing segregation
and discrimination in schools by other children developed pride in his Eastern
Jewishness (Ostjuden).
When he was 14, his parents sent him to Paris to live with his
uncle and aunt anticipating the fact that things would go from bad to worse for
the Jews in Germany (He tried to immigrate to Palestine first but failed).
In France he turned out to be an illegal immigrant, a stateless
person making it impossible to either work or educate himself.
Herschel was growing increasingly lonely and desperate with no
skills or education and at the same time facing the displeasure of his uncle
and aunt; he began to miss his family intensely.
Soon by 1938 the French police were on the hunt for him to deport
him; it was a time of intense dread and distress for this young confused man
who could not understand why the world was so much against him.
It was during these stressful days that he received a postcard
from his family (written by his sister Berta) asking for some money describing
how the Germans had expelled them from their homes.
He begged and implored his uncle to spare some money for his
family but his uncle would not have a word of it, saying already he was under
both financial strain and legal jeopardy harboring an illegal immigrant.
Such, mom ami, were the conditions in Europe (Yes, West Europe)
just a few decades ago.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average story storytelling
chimpanzee or login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night and my fellow cousin ape.
Another great educator and a teacher that I am aware of is
Professor Subhashish Chattopadhyay in Bangalore, India.
While I narrate stories, Professor Subhashish an IIT graduate and
a former professor at BARC, does and teaches real mathematics and physics.
He started the participation of Indian students at the
International Physics Olympiad.
Do visit him here:
All his books can be downloaded for free through this link:
For edutainment and English education of your children, may I
suggest this large collection of Kids Songs:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMX11Z5SJQ3kgwSsFJLRIcg
Poland history is as tragic as that of the Indian subcontinent with Polish Jews becoming the first victims of the Holocaust. By the end of 1938, all Polish Jews were asked to leave Germany. What was worse was Poland refused to accept them in that bitter and hungry winter.
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