Bürokratie des Todes : Lebensgeschichten jüdischer Opfer des NS-Regimes im Spiegel von Finanzamtsakten

Examines the involvement of German fiscal authorities in the plundering of Jewish property during the Holocaust. Argues that the annihilation of European Jewry should not be conceived only as the work of perpetrators in concentration camps, but should be understood in the context of the entire history of the persecution of Jews. Exclusion from the "Aryan" community, restriction of living space, discrimination, exclusion from professional life, isolation, and deprivation of basic human rights preceded annihilation. Studies, as an example, the case of the Fenichel family in Berlin, which had owned a watchmakers' supply business. The business declined gradually between 1933-38 and was Aryanized by 1941. The expanded family was deported to Riga in December 1942; the family's property was confiscated. Pp. 97-184 include many documents, such as a declaration of assets, account sheets, tax calculations, and bills for electricity, coal, and gas. Includes bibliographical references (pages 224-250). 255 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.