Introduction
During the Holocaust, Jews emigrated out of Germany to the Americas in order to escape persecution. Throughout their journeys, German Jewish immigrants were forced to explore new and unknown worlds in which they encountered numerous hardships. Their exchange of culture and ideas had a lasting impact on the countries to which they moved.
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Prior to the holocaust, anti-Semitic feelings existed in Germany. Laws such as the Nuremberg laws made life very difficult for Jews and were a main reason many fled to the Americas. This 1935 chart shows racial classifications under the Nuremberg Laws. Source: Associated Press
German Jews fleeing during an attack in 1943. Source: Associated Press
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Lyrics to Song of Hope
This day is a beginning You touch a new page On this day a prayer will be carried Know that there's someone listening Don't give up immediately You have a distance to go Don't give up immediately If not now maybe in another year |
“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges…” -George Washington
" My father left Nazi Germany a year after Dr. Kissinger, and so in my household he was very much an icon. He was a kind of immigrant success story, a refugee success story." -Eugene Jarecki