The Status of Jews in Germany

The history of Jewish presence in Germany dates back to Roman conquests. In that time, Jews were citizens of military cities of Roman Empire in the coasts of Rhine and Danube, the most important of which was Colina. Later, in the reign of Charleman further Jewish groups resided in this country.
These tribes during their stay in this country were mainly engaged in usury. Frederick II in 1244 in a decree, set the interest concessional loans of Jews 173/5%. The loans were given to obtain a sufficient guarantee of the mortgage. So that the lender does not feel concern over the non-repayment of their claims. This led them to be accused of sucking people's blood.
In this case - unlike German law- as it was established later if the object hostage was stolen and usurer was not aware of it being stolen, it did not void the lender of the right to object. It was here that the Jewish usurers and their interaction with the thieves were connected to illegal transactions.
In the meantime, the creation of funds in Italy and the emergence of local economic opportunities, financial independence to the Jewish people overcome distress and confusion out of their situation. Especially that the church is trying to fight against the "plague of Jews" which was usury. Fourth World Council of Churches in Rome 1215, usury of sanctions and Jews are required to wear special clothing and having their own show.
During the reign of Frederick I, known as Barbarossa (1152-1190), people went to a public disturbance against the Jewish residents. Frederick did his utmost to quell the violence used and declared the penalty of murdering Jews to be death penalty and bothering them would result in amputation. With this threat, seemingly chaos subsided, but the Jews' accusation of blood sucking and contaminating water wells with toxic substances by their hands became strong among people.
In this situation, the church played an important role in support of the Jews. In 1236 the Emperor, Frederick II, acquitted them of the charges and in a decree, introduced Jews as slaves dependent on the court, having special law. This commandment meant that Jews in Germany and all their assets were legally, exclusive property of the emperor, and not belonging to any other power.
At that time although the number of Jews in Germany was less than 1% of the total population, but 12% of revenues and 20% of total taxes received from the treasury of the Empire in Germany, was financed by them.
From the fourteenth century that the Jews participated more seriously in the economic activity, their status changed. In this age, they took usury more clearly and more greedily.
After Calvin reform movement based on which, temples and Christian religious figures were forbidden from participating in the exchange and usury, the sphere of activity spread to the Jews extended in a way that they took interests of 53/5% from its concessional loans.
In the years 1335-1337 farmers from different regions of Germany rebelled against the Jews. This revolt was introduction of great turmoil within the years 1341-1349 following the release of plague and the contamination of water wells with toxic substances. In this event, Jews were accused of spreading the plague and contaminating groundwater. Hence, many people in Germany, in order to get rid of the Jews, were willing to pay money to the emperor.
In the first day of August 1401 Robrecht, the German king, ordered the expulsion of large numbers of Jews in the Rhineland and Bavaria. In 1498 the Jews of Nuremberg, were fired and hence they settled in Frankfurt and Prague. The Jews, on the entrance to every town or out of it were required to pay the special tolls, even if the entry and exit was done several times a day.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century and the destruction of the central authority in Germany, the Jews were driven into the ghetto neighborhoods and humiliating conditions were imposed on them and eventually expelled them from many cities and regions in Germany.
This period was the onset of the capitalist economy, and this paved the way for the misery of many ordinary people, while no one truly knew that Jews were the origin of this misery. The trade disputes among rulers and men of the church, put Jews at the focus of the conflict and both sides tried to benefit from Jews to their advantage;
But because Jews were the tools in the hands of royals, local traders considered them enemies. In the same era, Martin Luther (the founder of Protestantism) emphasized the necessity of Jews’ conversion to Christianity.
While in the late sixteenth century, only a few groups of Jews lived in the cities of Frankfurt and Vienna and Prague, in the seventeenth century, Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal (Marano Jews) settled in Hamburg and founded the Hamburg bank and following them many Jews in Eastern Europe, especially Poland, immigrated to Germany.
The height of the suffering and the suffering of Jews in Germany, certainly, was in the Nazi era. In this period, due to intense hatred of Hitler and his party from the tribe, and the involvement of elements of racial and ethnic backgrounds repertoire dark and evil Jews and their history in the minds of the German people were put in place, all kinds of deprivation and abuse and massacres.
What happened to Jewish people in this period is divided into two stages:
1. In the years 1933-1339, two measures were taken against them:
A) Preventing any of their work and daily activities. This led to a large number of them die from extreme poverty and hunger.
B) Waging a hostile propaganda campaign against Jews and intensifying hatred towards them.
2. The years 1939-1945, was a period of widespread massacres of Jews, with diverse practices, by the hands of the Nazis.
In this brief explanation it should be said from the beginning of April 1933, the Nazi regime, put Jews in heavily sanctioned siege of pressure and, subsequently, their economic life was interrupted and experienced serious injury. At the same time, the banning Jews throughout Germany to work in general and administrative jobs in the private and public sector were approved and implemented. All books written by Jews were burned and Jewish children were expelled from all schools, universities, scientific and cultural societies.
On the other hand, paying toll was enacted for Jews which in November 1938 reached one billion mark (four hundred million dollars). Their real estate was confiscated and with the aim to distinguish them from others they were required to install the yellow star on their chest and back.
From October 1938 following a decision by the Nazis, a wave of massacres against the Jews in Germany was started by the Gestapo (secret police of the Nazi government) which continued till World War II in1945 when the domination of the Nazi regime came to an end.
During this period, the broad prosecution of Jews and sending them to death camps continued. Many of them were killed in the crematorium.
A great number of Jews were killed in camps of Dakhao, Auschwitz, Kiev, Karkov, Odessa, Treblinka and Lithwania. In the same way, a huge massacre was done in Poland.