"Even in November 1938, after five years of anti-Semitic legislation and persecution, they still owned, according to the Times correspondent in Berlin, something like a third of the real property in the Reich"
- Arthur Bryant
About this Quote
The quote by Arthur Bryant refers to the status of Jewish home ownership in Nazi Germany, particularly around November 1938, a time when the Nazi routine had been in power for over 5 years. This duration marked a climax of anti-Semitic laws and persecution against Jews, which escalated drastically with the events of Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) that happened in November 1938. The Kristallnacht pogroms involved widespread violence versus Jews, damage of their companies and synagogues, and marked a considerable escalation in Nazi anti-Semitic policy.
The statement by Bryant that Jews still owned "something like a third of the real estate in the Reich" despite years of persecution and discriminatory legislation highlights the durability and financial combination of the Jewish community within Germany up to that point. It likewise suggests a degree of surprise or incredulity on the part of modern observers, such as the Times correspondent based in Berlin, likely due to the typical misunderstandings or stereotypes suggesting otherwise.
This ownership figure is significant since it highlights the degree of financial impact and existence that Jews had in German society before the war, which sustained Nazi propaganda and bitterness. The Nazis used these understandings to justify their anti-Semitic policies and to rally support amongst non-Jewish Germans, portraying Jews as powerful and prominent "outsiders" or "enemies" within.
Moreover, the quote reviews the more comprehensive context of systemic dispossession and disenfranchisement that Jews dealt with throughout the Nazi regime. The subsequent years saw the total confiscation and "Aryanization" of Jewish home, successfully removing Jewish financial presence in the Reich. This confiscation belonged to the more comprehensive genocidal agenda that would culminate in the Holocaust, intending not just at the physical damage of Jews but also the erasure of their cultural and economic contributions to German society.
Bryant's quote ultimately highlights how deeply established Jewish neighborhoods and their properties were, highlighting the drastic and violent change that Nazi policies would cause in the years following 1938.
"Well, right now, I'm very fascinated with 1920s Berlin. I mean, probably the more interesting thing would be to go to the beginning of civilization or precivilization - like polytheistic times. It would be interesting to see what came before modern religion and culture - what circumstances created the environment or the need for it"
"The Berlin Defence suited my strategy for the match. I had a defensive strategy - Actually, I had in my pocket some other sharper stuff to fall back on - but first I wanted to try the defensive strategy with Black and it worked so well"
"But with the Berlin, I was able to allow him to get near, but not quite near enough, and I knew where to draw the line with the fortresses I had set up"
"In October, 1865, occurred what was, in my eyes, the greatest event in the history of the observatory. The new transit circle arrived from Berlin in its boxes"
"We feel very honored to have been offered the responsibility to host this great event, Berlin is a wonderful city that is developing at a tremendous rate, and this decision means that we can now prepare to welcome the world's best athletes to a fascinating place"
"The Berlin Wall go down, that was the most wonderful thing that could happen, absolutely. I celebrated with everybody in Berlin that day when the Wall was down"
"On the little money I had collected I lived in Berlin very cheaply, ate very cheaply. And already in 1920 I saved the first salaries I received to go to Munich"
