☞ Click any year to continue
1937
The Point of No Return
Germany & The National Story
Antisemitic exclusion becomes increasingly visible and accepted throughout German society, extending beyond government policy into workplaces, businesses, and community life.
The Nazi regime increasingly pressures Jewish families to leave Germany through economic restrictions, intimidation, and the steady erosion of their place in German society.
In a secret meeting with Germany's military leaders, Hitler outlines his plans for territorial expansion, revealing his determination to pursue war.
The Neuburger Family
Marie Neuburger, the family's matriarch, dies, leaving the family without the steady presence that had sustained them after Rose's death.
As antisemitism intensifies, Julius's grief increasingly gives way to anger, and he becomes less willing to remain silent in the face of hatred.
As longtime relationships disappear, the family realizes that the Germany they once knew is slipping away.
A Moment in Time
By 1937, antisemitism no longer depended on dramatic new laws or public spectacles. Increasingly, discrimination had become woven into everyday life as many ordinary Germans accepted—or participated in—the exclusion of their Jewish neighbors. For Jewish families, the greatest loss was not only their legal rights but the gradual disappearance of trust within the communities they had once called home.
Marie Neuburger, mother of Julius, Max, and Selma. Following Rose's death, she became an important source of stability for Julius and her infant grandson, Werner. Her death in June 1937 left the family to confront another profound loss during a time of growing isolation.
An anti-Jewish sign photographed in Bavaria in 1937 reads, "Jews are not wanted here." Signs like this reflected how antisemitism had become an increasingly accepted part of everyday life.
HISTORY RECORDED HOW IT ENDED. THIS IS HOW IT BEGAN.
