Figure 1.--Here a Vienna school boy is being forced to write the word 'Jude' (Jew) at the entrance to his father's shop while his schoolmates watch. Note the shutters are drawn to protect the shop. We are not sure who the NAZI overseeing this is, perhaps his teacher. One wonders just what is on the mind of the boys watching this.

Jewish shops were a popular target of the Austrian NAZIs before the Anscluss. Before beung banned, attacks were common in Leopoldstadt quarter where they would break windiws and paint abti-Semetic grafitti. There were also instances of driving Jews off the sidewalks and out of parks. [Sachar, p. 490.] Some Jewish stores and shops were pillaged. Mobs stormed into shops and stole what they wanted and destroyed much what they did not take. Jewish shop owners did not dare resist. The police did nothing to impede actions against Jews. The destruction was not nearly as bad as wouuld follow with Kristallnacht. Austrians were not accustomed to such violence and what was allowed under NAZI law. Anti-Semetic grafitti was daubed on the windows of Jewish owned shops or painted on the entranceways. NAZIs thugs stood by Jewish shops and roughed up patrons, making them wear traitor signs around their necks. After the Ansscluss the new NAZI authorities would move against Jewish store and shop owners to disposess them. With the Anchluss, the Nurmbrg Race Laws and other NAZI legislation immeditely came into effect in what was Austria. All of this was part of the process of depriving Jews of their livlihood.

Sources

Sachar, Howard Morley. A History of the Jews in the Modern World.

Created: 10:01 PM 12/9/2011
Last updated: 10:01 PM 12/9/2011