1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: a show that uncovers a little bit more about history. 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: Every day. I'm Gay Blusier, and today we're reflecting on 5 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: one of the many despicable practices utilized by Nazi Germany 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: during World War Two. The day was September one, nine. 7 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: The Nazi regime ordered all Jews in Germany over the 8 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: age of six to publicly identify themselves by wearing a 9 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: yellow star. The decree was made in accordance with Nazi 10 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: racial laws, which falsely claimed that Jewish identity was a 11 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: matter of biological inheritance. Anyone caught without this so called 12 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: jew Wish badge was liable to be punished, either with fines, imprisonment, 13 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: or even execution. Of course, wearing the badge was no 14 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: guarantee of safety either, since it effectively put a target 15 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,479 Speaker 1: on the wearer's back. The decree was intended to make 16 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: it easier for officers of the Third rece to identify, track, 17 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: and control German Jews. Its secondary purpose was to inflict 18 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: a sense of isolation on Jewish families, to make them 19 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: feel embarrassed and alone. Outcasts within their own country. On 20 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: both counts, the dehumanizing badges proved all too effective. This 21 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: specific form of persecution is closely associated with the Nazis, 22 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: but they actually weren't the first to employ it. In Baghdad, 23 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: Jewish residents were forced to wear identifying badges in the 24 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: ninth and tenth centuries, and in Europe, the first record 25 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: of the practice dates back to the third teenth century, 26 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: when Jews were legally compelled to wear pointed hats to 27 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: distinguish themselves from the rest of the population. Similar laws 28 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: were enforced throughout Europe for the next three hundred years, 29 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: but by the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the practice had 30 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: mostly fallen out of favor, that is until the Nazis 31 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: revived it to aid in their holocaust. In May of 32 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty eight, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Gebels became the 33 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: first to suggest a quote general distinguishing mark for German Jews. 34 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: The idea was raised again six months later by Security 35 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:43,519 Speaker 1: police chief Reinhardt Hydrick, but in both cases the proposals 36 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: were rejected for fear that identifying Jews with badges would 37 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: result in the creation of ghettos in German cities. Of course, 38 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: in the years to come, the Nazis would eventually embrace 39 00:02:55,360 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: both practices. The first European Jews required to wear badges 40 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 1: were those living in German occupied Poland. In November of 41 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty nine, local governments there began instituting the practice, 42 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: and within a month, every Jewish resident over the age 43 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: of twelve was forced to wear a white arm band 44 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 1: emblazoned with a blue star of David. From there, similar 45 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: laws were gradually adopted by other German occupied countries, and 46 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 1: eventually by Germany itself. On September one, nineteen forty one, 47 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: Reinhardt Hydrick finally got his wish. He commanded that all 48 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: Jews over six years of age must wear a yellow 49 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: star of David on their outer layer of clothing at 50 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: all times. The six sided stars were to be four 51 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: inches long and worn on both the left side of 52 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: the chest and on the back. The word Jew was 53 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: to be inscribed in the center of the star. This 54 00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: was Hydric's way of ensuring what he described as quote 55 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: the control of the Jew through the watchful eye of 56 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: the whole population. His order applied to Jewish residents, not 57 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: only in the Rice, but in Alsace, in Bohemia, Moravia, 58 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:17,160 Speaker 1: and in the German annexed region of Western Poland. Forgetting 59 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: or refusing to comply with the order could easily result 60 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,279 Speaker 1: in death, so those affected had to scramble to fashion 61 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: the badges from whatever materials they could find. As a result, 62 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: the stars can look drastically different. Some were hand stitched, 63 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: while others were sewn by machine. Hydris decree filled in 64 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: the gaps left by earlier orders, extending the public labeling 65 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: of Jews to nearly every corner of Europe under Nazi control. 66 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: Belgium and the Netherlands followed suit in the spring of 67 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: nineteen forty two, and most parts of France imposed the 68 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: badges not long after. In March of nineteen forty four, 69 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: Hungary became the final country to require the wearing of badges. 70 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: One notable holdout to the policy was the nation of Denmark, 71 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: where Jewish badges were never introduced due to the Dane's 72 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: vocal opposition to anti Jewish measures. There's a popular legend 73 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,919 Speaker 1: that Danish King Christian the Tenth wore a yellow star 74 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: in solidarity with the Jewish population. However, there was no 75 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: need for him to do so, as German occupiers never 76 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: tried to introduce the star to Denmark. That said, the 77 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: King did make clear his feelings on the matter, saying, quote, 78 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,799 Speaker 1: if the Jews are forced to wear the yellow Star, 79 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 1: I and my whole family shall wear it as a 80 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: badge of honor. The German government's use of identifying badges 81 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:50,840 Speaker 1: was just one of many craven tactics employed to stigmatize, humiliate, 82 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: and segregate the Jewish people. The yellow stars and other 83 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: such markings made it easier to separate these supposedly inferior 84 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: city sins from the rest of society, effectively paving the 85 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:08,719 Speaker 1: way for their eventual deportation and systematic murder. Many of 86 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: those badges survived the Holocaust and now reside in the 87 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: homes of Jewish families and in museums throughout the world. 88 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: They were intended as symbols of shame for those who 89 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:24,280 Speaker 1: wore them, but today they're reminders of the resilience and 90 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: courage of the millions who suffered and died under a 91 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:33,040 Speaker 1: hateful regime. The only shame the yellow badges represent belongs 92 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: to the people who forced other human beings to wear them, 93 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: and to those who looked the other way as it happened. 94 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Louzier and hopefully you now know a little 95 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. If you 96 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 1: have a second and you're so inclined, please follow the 97 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 1: show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t D i 98 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: HC Show. You can also rate and review the show 99 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, or you can write to me directly 100 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: at this day at I heart media dot com. Thanks 101 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: to Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thanks to 102 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 103 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: for another day in history class.