Kristallnacht- A pogrom carried out against the Jews living in Germany. The pogrom occurred on the night of November 9 and November 10, 1938. This event is also known as the night of glass. In Kristallnacht German Nazis broke in to Jewish homes and forcefully took Jews out of their home and took them to the Marktplatz where they were then sent to concentration camps not limited to but included Dacau, Sachsenhausen, and Buchenwald. The Jews who were taken here were either forced to do hard labor until it killed them or they were killed almost instantaneously.
Pogrom- A violent act that results in massacre or prosecution that is carried out against a specific religious group. In the case of the Holocaust the Nazis carried out a pogrom against Jews.
Marktplatz- The center of the town.
Buchenwald- One of the first and largest concentration camps in Germany. It was located near Weimar, Germany and was built in July of 1937.
Magistrate- A civilian officer who carries out the law. In The Singer of Shanghai the magistrate is where one would go to obtain assurances that would allow them to go to Shanghai.
Assurances- Similar to a ticket. This promised that one would be able to get from Germany to Shanghai, China.
Conte Biancomano- An Italian steamship that Jews going from Germany to Shanghai made the journey on. One downside to this is that Jews weren't able to take anything with them because they had to make the journey from Germany to Genoa, Italy with what little possessions they were allowed to bring with them. From Genoa they would make the journey to Shanghai.
SA Soldier- A soldier who belonged to the German Nazi army. They were also referred to as Storm Troopers.
Schatzi- A German term of endearment.
Heim- A German term for home. A Heim is a home in the designated area that multiple families would live in.
Designated Area- An area in Hongkou (formerly spelled Hongkew) where Jews had to live after the 1943 proclamation. The area was really small, dingy, and dirty. The area was closed off and Jews had to ask for permission to go outside of the designated area.
1943 Proclamation- Issued by the Japanese military who had control in China on February 18, 1943. This proclamation said that any stateless refugees (i.e. the Jews) living in Shanghai after 1937 had to move into the designated area.
Shanghai Jewish Youth Association- A school in Shanghai for Jewish kids.
French Concession- One of the nicer settlements in Shanghai. This area was owned and controlled by the French government. Those who lived in the French Concession lived a better quality of life, they were able to have space to live and move around freely, they made a good living and they didn't really face a lot of opression.
Honeybuckets- Most of the people living in the designated area didn't have the luxuries of running water or an outhouse so they had large plastic buckets that served as their toilets. The buckets were set out on the street and emptied daily.
Shanghai Millionaire- A game invented by Jewish refugees that is similar to a modern day version of Monopoly.
Packs- A game played by young Jewish boys using folded cigarette cartons. Common packs made out of cigarette cartons were less valuable as packs made out of cartons that were more rare. The folded 'packs' would be flicked at each other and you would try to knock out other players 'packs'.
G.I. Soldier- An american soldier.
Timeline
January 30, 1933-Hitler comes to power.
March 22, 1933- Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, and Ravensbruck concentration camps open.
1933-1944- Treatment of Jews gets worse every year.
1933- The first wave of Jews migrate out of Germany.
1934-1937- A second larger wave migrates out of Germany, a large number of Jews migrates to Shanghai.
November 9-10, 1938- Kristallnacht.
February 18, 1943- The Japanese proclamation requiring Jews to move into a designated area is issued.
May 1945-End of World War II.
January 30, 1933-Hitler comes to power.
March 22, 1933- Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, and Ravensbruck concentration camps open.
1933-1944- Treatment of Jews gets worse every year.
1933- The first wave of Jews migrate out of Germany.
1934-1937- A second larger wave migrates out of Germany, a large number of Jews migrates to Shanghai.
November 9-10, 1938- Kristallnacht.
February 18, 1943- The Japanese proclamation requiring Jews to move into a designated area is issued.
May 1945-End of World War II.