Deutsches Reich Reisepass – German “J” Passport issued to the Jew Ludwig Goldstein on January 10, 1939 – One of the first Nazi-stamped passports from that year, bearing a low serial number – 4. Signed by the head of the local authority in Grevenbroich (Goldstein’s birthplace in northern Germany). Goldstein arrived in Eretz Israel on May 5, 1939, but on this date, a cancellation stamp from the British consulate appears (He was likely transferred to an internment camp). Two months later, he was admitted into the country on July 26, 1939.
In March 1938, Austria was annexed to Germany (the “Anschluss”). As a result, approximately 200,000 Jews came under the jurisdiction of the Nuremberg Laws. The German Office for Jewish Affairs, headed by Adolf Eichmann, was responsible for enforcing anti-Jewish laws and expelling Jews from Austria. Jews were stripped of their property and forced to emigrate, either outside of Germany’s borders or out of Nazi-controlled territories, depending on the Nazis’ decisions. The confiscated money funded their deportations, with the remaining balance transferred to the German treasury. In March 1938, the Nazis required all Austrian passport holders to have their passports stamped with the letter “J” and decreed that every Jewish woman must add “Sara” to her given name, while every Jewish man had to add “Israel”. The passport presented here was stamped approximately six months after this regulation was enacted.
Additionally, stamps from the Government of Palestine Immigration Department and the British Vice Consul confirm his arrival in Eretz Israel.
32 pages. Very good condition.
