One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping (21 page)

The Nazi flag was characterized by the swastika, an ancient symbol confis-cated by the Nazis, that has come to symbolize the kind of hate that spawned the Nazi reign of terror, and ultimately, the Holocaust. Here, Nazi flags are carried in a May Day celebration parade in Vienna, 1938.

In order to effectively ostracize Jews from European society, Hitler began by forcing Jews to wear a yellow badge of the Star of David with
Jude
, the Ger-man word for “Jew,” written on it.

Nazi soldiers were under the strict scrutiny of the very stern and demanding Hitler. He expected them to embody the ultimate perfection of the Aryan race. He inspired them with the salute
Sieg Heil
, or “Hail to Victory.” Here, he reviews his soldiers.

Zionism, the movement that sought a Jewish homeland in Palestine, was in full force in Vienna under the young leadership of activists like Aron Meczer, pictured here (front, middle) with leaders of various youth movements. Aron Meczer sacrificed his life so that Jewish youth could escape safely from Nazi Austria to Palestine, which is now Israel.

The degradation of Jews became a part of everyday life in Vienna under the Nazi reign. Here, Jewish students are humiliated in front of their classmates. Written on the blackboard are the words, “The Jew is our greatest enemy.”

A crowd of Viennese children looks on as a Jewish boy is forced by Austrian Nazis to paint the word
Jude
on his father’s store in order to identify it as a Jewish-owned shop. It was both emotionally and financially devastating for Jewish professionals and shopkeepers to be so willfully abandoned by long-time customers and friends.

A Viennese Jew is forced to scrub anti-Hitler slogans from the street in front of a crowd. These humiliating moments stripped Jews of their dignity.

Ultimately, most Jews were deported to concentration camps where they were tortured and murdered at the hands of Nazis. Here, Jews arrive at Auschwitz, one of the most horrible death camps in Europe.

Even though emigration was virtually impossible, many managed to get the necessary visas to leave. Jews lined up at the emigration office in Vienna hop-ing to escape.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK 1938

Some Jews were lucky enough to make it to America, where many settled in New York City, the port of entry for all immigrants from Europe. A booming metropolis, New York City is filled with famous shopping streets like Fifth Avenue, pictured here in 1939.

A landscaped park that runs from 59th Street to 110th Street in Manhattan, Central Park is an urban wonder. Developed in 1858, it was the first major American park intended entirely for public use.