Rise of Hitler

• Anna Liebener (17 years old. Berlin, Germany)

  Added 1 new photo on March 18, 1933

  
  Picture credit: Cover page of the Volkischer Beobachter. 31 January 1933 (JHGC Archive)

  I decided to start this page after several conversations with my parents and school friends as we are all feeling concerned about Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor of Germany. I know that he has only been the Chancellor for a couple of months but his growing popularity and control of German life and institutions is alarming and I can’t help but wonder what that means for Jews like us living in Germany? I am 17 years old and live in Frankfurt, Germany but I would really like to hear how others feel about this – is anyone else worried?

  Walter Frank

  Posted March 25, 1933

  We have lived in this country for hundreds of years; my family was traced back by some cousins of ours to the 12th or 13th century, actually traced back paper by paper. This guy Hitler, he’s from Austria, he’s not even German, nothing, he’s talking big, he’s got to do that, he’s got to say all these things in order to attract attention, but he isn’t going to do all the bad things he says he’s going to do, because he needs foreign support.

  Walter Frank

  Posted March 18, 1933

  There is the German proverb; “soup is not eaten as hot as it is cooked”. So nothing is going to happen and the next election we are going to vote him out of office. It’s not going to be too bad; don’t worry about it.

• Anna Liebener

  Added 1 new photo on April 21, 1933

  I’m not convinced. Here is an article on page two of the Volkischer Beobachter that I posted previously and it reads: “the Curse of the Jews and the Capitalists”. I’m not saying he will do everything that he says in his speeches but already I have heard rumours of a concentration camp – does anyone know if they really exist?
  
  Dachau concentration camp was the first of the Nazi concentration camps opened in Germany in March 1933, intended to hold political prisoners.
  
  

  GISELA PEIPER

  Terror started immediately, it didn’t start in the beginning only against Jews. It started mostly against socialists; people they knew were against them.

  NORBERT WOLLHEIM

  The first enemies Hitler took care of were not the Jews; they were the unions, political parties like the social democrats, communist parties. For them he established a concentration camp.

  MARGARET LAMBERT (BERGMANN)

  There was a girl next-door to me; we grew up together as babies. We were together every single day. She ate in our house more times than she ate in her own house. As soon as Hitler came in she didn’t know me anymore.

  GITA ROSSI ZALMAN (Hattingen-Ruhr, Germany)

  This is the year that I started school. In Germany it is a custom that on the first day of school for your mother to fetch you with a huge bag of sweets and chocolates called a “Schultüte”. My mother pleaded with me not to make a fuss and to receive my magnificent bag of sweets at home. I would not hear of it and demanded to receive my “Schultüte” at school. On the way home I rushed up to my friend’s brother to offer him a chocolate. Resplendent in his new SS uniform, he clicked his heels and rudely turned his back.
  
  Possible edit: When I started school…

• ANNA LIEBENER

  Posted on August 15, 1933

  This is a photograph of a friend’s sister, in Leipzig on her first day of school four years ago. I can imagine how devastated you were when he refused your generous gift!
  
  

  GHITA ROSSI ZALMAN

  After all he could not be seen to accept a sweet from a Jewish child.

• Ruth Cardin

  Posted on August 20, 1933

  Hi Anna – thank you for starting this group. I agree it is something we should all be talking about. A friend sent me this photograph of Hitler standing in the window of the Chancellery building in Berlin January 30 this year. It looks like quite a large and enthusiastic crowd…
  
  

  GRETE

  There are those that believe in the Führer as a saviour and they are hypnotised by him. My mother, for example. Once she handed a bouquet to Hitler – that was the high point in her life. 

  HENRY METELMAN

  I love Germany. I firmly believe that our Führer is giving us back our dignity.
   

  GEORGE GINZBURG (10 years old. Berlin, Germany)

  I was standing with my father in the main street of Berlin under the Brandenburg Gate where there was a victory parade of the National Socialists. They were carrying torches and flags and drums and singing… Hundreds and thousands of people were lined up on the streets including my father and myself. And all of a sudden I saw my father crying, tears were rolling down his cheek. He said “that is the finish of Germany and that is the finish of us Jews”… I held my father’s hand tight and then I understood when… they started to sing that Jewish blood shall flow from the knives and then us Germans we will benefit from it.