Response to the following :
What was the experience of Jews in Germany in the late 1930s, and what was the response of the United States? Why?
The Jews had significant amounts of freedom in the decades leading up to the 1930's. Intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews was fairly common, Jews enjoyed high positions in the German government, higher education, science and medicine. During World War I, Jews represented the largest ethnic group who fought for Germany with over 12,000 of them giving their lives for the Fatherland. It is ironic that it was a Jewish officer that awarded Adolph Hitler, then a young corporal, with the Iron Cross.
This was all to change with the rise of the Nazi power and their takeover of the German government. By 1933 the Nazi government had officially adopted an anti-Jew policy. Though many anti-Semitic policies had been adopted by business or private organizations, 1933 marked the first time that anti-Semitic policies were enforced by the German government. In April of 1933 Jewish shops, doctors, lawyers and stores were boycotted. The government also forbade all Jews from serving in any government positions. In August 1933 the German government signed an agreement allowing over 60,000 Jews to return to Palestine by 1939.