Figure 1.-- This is the 'Out with the Jews' game board. Like most board games, the game included a playing board, a pair of dice, and game pieces. The Jewish pieces had pointed Medieval Jewish hats with ugly faces painted on the hats. Players rolled the dice to move on the board. The object of the game was was to land on the Jewish pieces, im effect arresting them so they could be sent through the gates of a walled city to Palestine. The winner was the player who arrested the most Jews. Text on the board read, 'If you manage to see off 6 Jews, you’ve won a clear victory!'

The 'Juden Raus!' (Out with the Jews) game came out several years before the War. Hitler for several years pretended that he did not want another war, knowing that the idea was not popular with the German public. Even when he finally launched the War in 1939, he even created the absurd fiction that Poland had attacked Germany. He made no secret, however, about his hatred of the Jews from the very bginning. NAZI actions against Jews began immediately after Hitler seized power (1933). And these actions gradually increased and intensified. This is reflected in the 'Out with the Jews' game. It was part of the beginning of the Holocaust. At this stage the killing phase of the Holocaust had not yet begun in any large numbers. The NAZI actions were primarily stealing Jewish property, preventing them from making a living, excluding and isolating them from the natiinal society, and driving them out of Germany. The game seems to have been popular with the public. Some 1 million sets were sold. After Germany's defeat in World War II, no one wanted to be found with this game. Only two examples of the game are known to have survived the War. The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City has one. The Institute of Contemporary History and Wiener Library in London has the second copy. 'Juden Raus!' was a board game that was created and distributed by Günther & Co (1936). We know nothing about the firm. The NAZIs issued the Nuremberg Racial Laws, a major step in the Holocaust (1935). The Laws defined precisely who a Jew was so they could be legally targetted. It went beyond religion and based the targetting on ancestry. Jews were deprived German citizenship meaning any legal protections. Marriage and sexual relations between Jews and Germans was prohibited. Jews were denied participation in all German civic life. The game came out one year later. Like most board games, the game included a playing board, a pair of dice, and game pieces. The Jewish pieces had pointed Medieval Jewish hats with ugly faces painted on the hats. Players rolled the dice to move on the board. The object of the game was was to land on the Jewish pieces, im effect arresting them so they could be sent through the gates of a walled city to Palestine. The winner was the player who arrested the most Jews. Text on the board read, 'If you manage to see off 6 Jews, you’ve won a clear victory!' Those familar with the murderos German killing operations will no dount recognized how German police and mlitary killing squads would yell 'Juden Raus' to drive Jews out of their ghetto hovels and hiding places.

Appearance (1936)

The 'Juden Raus!' (Out with the Jews) game came out several years before the War. You do not see any of the many war games before Hitlrt launched the war, but the anti-Semetc ganes were a different matter. Hitler for several years pretended that he did not want another war, knowing that the idea was not popular with the German public. Even when he finally launched the War in 1939, he even created the absurd fiction that Poland had attacked Germany. He made no secret, however, about his hatred of the Jews from the very bginning.

Persecution of Jews

NAZI actions against Jews began immediately after Hitler seized power (1933). And these actions gradually increased and intensified. This is reflected in the 'Out with the Jews' game. It was part of the beginning of the Holocaust. At this stage the killing phase of the Holocaust had not yet begun in any large numbers. The NAZI actions were primarily stealing Jewish property, preventing them from making a living, excluding and isolating them from the natiinal society, and driving them out of Germany. The NAZIs issued the Nuremberg Racial Laws, a major step in the Holocaust (1935). The Laws defined precisely who a Jew was so they could be legally targetted. It went beyond religion and based the targetting on ancestry. Jews were deprived German citizenship meaning any legal protections. Marriage and sexual relations between Jews and Germans was prohibited. Jews were denied participation in all German civic life. Evenbtually of course beginning with Kristalnacht (1938) and ten the War (1939), the killing phase of the Holocaust began.

Popularity

The game seems to have been popular with the public. Some 1 million sets were sold (1936-38). [Rogansky]

Disappearance

After Germany's defeat in World War II, no one wanted to be found with this game. After the war, German families tossed out the incriminating games in untold numbers, but in the last few years dozens have surfaced in institutional collections and on the market. Only two examples of the game are known to have survived the War. The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City has one. The Institute of Contemporary History and Wiener Library in London has the second copy.

Publisher

'Juden Raus!' was a board game that was created and distributed by Günther & Co (1936). We know nothing about the firm. One source identifie it as a Viemese publisher. We are not sure this is the case.

Government Reaction

The publisher decided on a second edition for Christmas 1938. The company just assumed the seal of approval from the NAZI authorities. They were surprised by the reaction. Only a few days after releasing the game, the SS of all groups sharly critcised rge game. A sharp critique appeared in the SS journal. ["Judenproblem ..."] The SS of course was the instrument Hilker used to conduct mass murder. The SS's mouthpiece used harsh words to criticised Günther & Co, saying that "... while the National Socialist movement makes huge efforts to suppress the Jewish mob, the Viennese publisher exploits the political effort, and degrades it to children’s pastime." The article goes on, "“Wir rackern uns nicht mit der Lösung der Judenfrage ab, um geschäftstüchtigen Spielzeugfabrikanten die Sorge um einen großartigen Verkaufsschlager abzunehmen oder um Kindern zu einem erheiternden Spielchen zu verhelfen. Juden raus, jawohl! aber auch schleunigst raus aus den Spielzeugkisten unserer Kinder, ehe sie zu dem schleußlichen Irrtum verleitet werden, daß politische Probleme mit dem Knobelbecher gelöst werden können.” (We toil with the solution of the Jewish question not in order some enterprising toy manufacturers convert the problem into a business success and earn a lot with it, or they entertain the children with an exhilarating game. Out with the Jews, jawohl! but out with them also of the toy boxes of our children, before they are led to the grave error that political problems can be solved by the dice cups.) We have no idea why the SS took such an attiutude toward the came. There was no criticism when it appeared in 1936. What ever the reason, to appear in the SS joirnal, it must have had SS Reich Führer Heinrich Himmler's apprival. We can only guess that in 1936 the SS was cobcerned about molding public opinion. By December 1938 the die was cast. It was immediately after Kristalnacht. Jewish men weee in concebtrayiin camps and women and children were terrified. The SS could do what ever they wanted with them. At the time they mostly wanted their property. So Himmler may have decided that he no longer wanted to draw public attention to what he was doing with the remaining Jews in the Reich. There was of course no argument. The game disappeared from the company’s catalog.

Toys

The NAZIs from a very eraly began to indocrinate children. They were at first cautious, especially about the esire for war, knowing that the German public dif not want another war. Once Hitler launched the ar, all kinds of ar themed games and toys appeared in toy stores. here was no caution about anti-Semitism. Many children learned to hate Jews at home. When they entered school at age 6 years, all children got a steady dose of anti-Semitism. Not only was their racial instructions, but racist ideas appeared in math problems and other classes. nand And parents brought home board games which carried the NAZI message. These games seemed designed for younger children as very little skill is involved. But the yonger childten had fun rolling dice and competing with miniature weaponry to conquering other countries. The military games were bad enough playijg with bpmbing cities, but we see Holocaust themed games. Here we see a game designed to involve children beung taught to clear a fame board of pieces depicting caricatures of or greedy Jews. “The real power of evil is to make it normal.” [Rendell]

Playing the Game

The 'Out with the Jew' game came out one year after the Nuremberg Race Laws were issued. Like most board games, the game included a playing board, a pair of dice, and game pieces. The Jewish pieces had pointed Medieval Jewish hats with ugly faces painted on the hats. Players rolled the dice to move on the board. The object of the game was was to land on the Jewish pieces, im effect arresting them so they could be sent through the gates of a walled city to Palestine. The winner was the player who arrested the most Jews. Text on the board read, 'If you manage to see off 6 Jews, you’ve won a clear victory!'

Title

Those familar with the murderos German killing operations will no dount recognized how German police and mlitary killing squads would yell 'Juden Raus' to drive Jews out of their ghetto hovels and hiding places.

Sources

Rebdell, Kenneth, International Museum of World War II, Natick, Massachusetts.

Rogansky, Barbara (1999). Rogansky is a game historian.

"Judenproblem im Knobelbecher" (Jewish problem in the dice cup) Das Schwarze Kopf (December 29, 1938).

Created: 4:26 AM 7/23/2019
Last updated: 4:26 AM 7/23/2019