Why did some Jews stay in germany?

Answer 1

1. Nearly all countries had very strict Immigration laws in the 1930s and these were enforced. There was no such thing as a legal right to asylum at the time.

2. It wasn't enough simply to get out of Germany: the refugees needed jobs, too, and these were notoriously hard to find in the 1930s. Many also had young or elderly dependants. (In general, it was easier for young, single people to leave). If refugees did not have a job in advance, they needed relatives, or have a firm commitment that a charity would support them. Britain, Australia and the US all required guarantees. Moreover, the amount of money that refugees were allowed to take out of Germany was decreased year by year after 1933.

4. On the whole, young single people with good qualifications found it much easier than people with family commitments.

5. Before the Nazis came to power (1933) the great majority of German Jews were highly assimilated into German society. Some had been brought up to be "more German than the Germans". There is evidence that some had difficulty understanding what was really happening to them, at least in the early stages. They were thoroughly German and many were tragically in love with Germany. This only changed as persecution intensified and especially when they were subjected to widespread physical violence in the 'Night of the Broken Glass' (November 1938).

6. Until about 1941 it was not obvious that persecution would culminate in the Holocaust.

7. In addition to the German (and Austrian) Jews there were also non-Jewish political refugees trying to emigrate, and this added to the numbers seeking residence in countries like the U.S., Britain and Australia.

Answer 2

Because it was their home, the only home that they had known. Leaving would also mean that they would have to surrender most of their assets.

What's more, they couldn't just leave: they needed somewhere to go to and if possible something to go to - a job (if possible), or relatives or a charity committed to providing for them. In other words, leaving Germany wasn't as simple as it sounds. (In the 1930s there was no such thing as a legal right to asylum). On the whole, leaving was easier for young single people with good qualifications than for married people with dependants.

I would also add that for a long time it was not obvious that persecution would culminate is mass murder. Until 1938 (perhaps) it was not obvious - to Jews or anyone else - just how desperate their longer-term situation was.

Answer 3

Some people saw Germany as their home, they had been born there, perhaps many generations of their family had been born there, they owned property there. Some people did not see a good enough reason to leave.

Others were worried about the road ahead, they knew that they would not have good prospects wherever they went.

Answer 4

There were many reasons that German Jews remained in Germany despite persecution. Largely, the majority stayed because they had nowhere else to go.

Answer 5

They were transported to the camps by the Nazis, and the camps were guarded like a prison. You couldn't just walk out (or crawl under the wire).

Answer 6

because nothin was left after ww2