90: Boycott

90 years ago today (April 1, 1933) the Nazis, 2 months after coming to power, started their nationwide Boycott of Jewish businesses (German: Judenboykott.)

(Nazi SA Paramilitaries outside Israel's Department Store in Berlin. The signs read: "Germans! Defend yourselves! Don't buy from Jews.")

It was a State-Managed Campaign of ever-increasing harassment, arrests, systematic pillaging, forced transfer of ownership to Nazi Party Activists (managed by the Chamber of Commerce), and ultimately murder of Jewish Business Owners. In Berlin alone, there were 50,000 Jewish-owned businesses.

On the day of the Boycott, the SA stood menacingly in front of Jewish-owned Department Stores and Retail Establishments, and the offices of Professionals such as Doctors and Lawyers. The Propaganda Ministry wanted to catch violators of this Boycott, looking to German Citizens to shame other Germans who ignored the announcement and continued using Jewish stores and services.

The Star of David was painted in yellow and black across thousands of doors and windows, with accompanying antisemitic slogans. Signs were posted saying "Don't buy from Jews!" (Kauf nicht bei Juden!), "The Jews are our misfortune!" (Die Juden sind unser Unglück!) and "Go to Palestine!" (Geh nach Palästina!). Throughout Germany acts of violence against individual Jews and Jewish Property occurred.

It was largely unsuccessful (it ended after 1 day), as the German Population continued to use Jewish Businesses, but revealed the intent of the Nazis to undermine the viability of Jews in Germany.

A week later, on April 7, 1933, the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service was passed, which restricted employment in the civil service to "Aryans". This meant that Jews could not serve as Teachers, Professors, Judges, or in other Government Positions.

Most Jewish Government workers, including Teachers in Public Schools and Universities, were fired, while Doctors followed closely behind. However, the Jews who were War Veterans were excluded from dismissal or discrimination (about 35,000 German Jews died in the First World War).

While the National Boycott was not successful the Nazis learned that in order to get the German People behind their Official Anti-Semitism they had to enshrine it into German Law – which they did and which worked (the German People backed the Nazis and led to the Holocaust.)

These events seem to be a World away and not important today, but Anti-Jewish Violence is on the rise in 2023 in: Germany, Poland, Russia, the UK, Spain, France, Canada and the United States.

In the US Anti-Jewish Violence accounted for 95% of all Hate Crimes in 2022.