Frank S. was born in 1921 in Breslau,
Germany, a medium-sized industrial
town in Silesia. In Breslau, the Jewish
population was approximately 23,000.
In contrast to John J., who was born
in Breslau and experienced little antisemitism
before Hitler came to power, Frank
recalls being the victim of antisemitism
as a young boy in the 1920s when Germany
was the Weimar Republic. Frank says
that he was always aware that he was
different from non-Jewish children.
After the Nazis came to power in
January 1933, Frank recalls that antisemitism
became more open in Breslau. Frank’s
father, a restaurant owner, was forced
to close his business. Frank's family,
and other Jewish families, were forbidden
from watching Nazi parades or saluting
the Nazi flag.
Frank also recalls increasing incidents
of violence against Jews. The SA (Storm
Troopers) strictly enforced legislation
barring Jews from the civil service
and legal profession. The SA humiliated
Jewish lawyers and pulled them out
of courtroom proceedings. When the
local police sought to intervene, the
SA silenced the opposition by placing
an SA officer in charge of the police.
An incident of antisemitism that
had a long-lasting impact on Frank
was the time his mother came to school
to pick him up. The non-Jewish students
insulted her and made Frank uneasy
about having his mother come to the
school.
Frank also recalls how he learned
raceology in school. Raciology was
a false science that distinguished
inferior from superior races. On one
occasion, Frank was called to the front
of the class as an example of “what
a Jew looks like”. Frank also
sustained numerous insults from his
non-Jewish classmates.
Frank also found it difficult to fit
in outside of school. As he explains,
the Nazis expected citizens to salute
the Nazi flag with a raised arm and “Heil
Hitler” salute. Since Jews were
no longer regarded as citizens in Nazi
Germany, Frank had a dilemma. If he
failed to salute the flag, he would
be singled out for inappropriate behavior.
If he did salute the flag and was recognized
as a Jew, he would also be punished
for inappropriate behavior. On several
occasions, he tried to hide behind
a store or house so he would not have
to decide what to do. This was no small
matter since Jews had no protection
before the law and would be subject
to the whim of Nazi courts if caught
violating the flag laws.
Frank could no longer bear attending
public school after 1934. Thus, he
left school and became an apprentice
for an electrician. Even in this situation
the non-Jewish apprentices taunted
him because he was a “Jew”.
Frank’s circumstances were completely
altered after Kristallnacht. He left
his job and managed to get an affidavit
from his aunt in England, guaranteeing
that Frank would not be a burden on
the British economy. Frank’s
parents were unable to go to England
but found passage to Shanghai where
they survived the war.
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