Before the war
From 1933 onwards, the music of German Jewish composer Mendelssohn was banned. A short period after this, all Jews were banned from symphony orchestras and from the Opera. Books published by Jewish authors such as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Heinrich Heine were burned in April, 1934, in front of the University of Berlin. One of the leading newspapers, the 'Vossische Zeitung' was forced out of business because it was owned by the 'House of Ullstein', a Jewish firm. The same thing happened to the German Jewish newspaper, the 'Judische Rundschau'. The Jewish owned 'Berliner Tageblatt was forced to close in 1937. The well known and respected Frankfurter Zeitung was allowed to flourish but its Jewish owners were fired. On April 7, 1933, a Civil Service Law was passed in Germany. This law banned all persons with a Jewish grandparent from public employment, an action which caused a lot of fear in the Jewish community. By the end of the year around 31,000 of Berlin's Jews were living on charity.
NOVEMBER 9, 1938; "KRISTALLNACHT”
Because of the murder of the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by a young Jew in Paris, German minister Joseph Goebbels delivers a speech to the Nazi party in Munich (these party members are gathered for the anniversary of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch (Adolf Hitler's first attempt to seize power)). The speech is a signal for an attack against Jewish homes, businesses, and places of worship by members of the SA, SS, and other Nazi party organizations such as the Hitler Youth. The population's participation in the attack is limited. The violence against Jews lasts into the morning of November 10 and becomes known as "Kristallnacht"( which means in English: "Night of Broken Glass.") At least 91 Jews are killed and up to 30,000 more are arrested and confined in concentration camps.