Nazi Germany

It was a late night in Berlin in 1923; the factory hadn't been doing well because of the extreme hyperinflation. The factory hasn’t even gotten the necessary supplies to run. All my friends are getting laid off, and I am terrified that I will have the same fate. I was ecstatic once I heard about the US giving loans; I knew my job was safe. It was hard for a Jew in Germany, but it was harder to be broke and Jewish.

I remember reading Mein Kampf and seeing the antisemitic undertones; it was scary. My

job became less important, and the protection of my Jewish family was all I carried about. In

June of 1934, Germany got a hint of Hitler's violence when he killed all of the SA stormtroopers.

When Paul von Hindenburg died after Hitler was said to be chancellor in 34, I knew we were

screwed. The Nuremberg Laws of 35 was when I knew I had to get my family and me out of this

country. After a long time of heightened antisemitism and bullshit laws, Germany was getting

dreadful. It was November 7, 1938, and all of my civil rights had been stripped away. I just

wanted to see my friend Jimmy down at a local bar. When I entered the bar, I had never seen

Jimmy so scared. He told me that “they are going to destroy everything I own!”

. After a 30-minute talk, we devised a plan to escape Germany. He and my family would get in our cars and drive to Poland, where we have plenty of family. That night, my family and I packed our suitcases and, the following day, got the hell out of this place. Jimmy wasn’t so lucky.