1933

It was 1933 that the Jewish World changed forever. It was also 1933 that a book called “The Friday Night Book” the subtitle being “A Jewish Miscellany” was published by the Soncino Press in 1933. There was no identified writer. A few copies survive, one being a Prize for Maurice Blank (my father-in-law for 2nd place at his Cheder in 1938. Here and there flashes of the Jewish World in 1933 come to the fore, and there is a certain innocence about the book.

Here are some extracts. I have also commented some of the entries The saddest one is the first one, for ten years later things would have changed forever.

German Dance/Jazz Bands

Introduction

After World War 1 Germany suffered from hyperinflation, political extremism and food shortages, with the economy having tanked.

 However, there was a recovery of the German economy from 1924 to 1929, which became known as the “Golden Age”, and there was a flowering of arts and culture in the German Republic, especially in the cities.

 Why only the cities? Despite this recovery two thirds of the German population was still rural and insular. The folk culture of the German nation was still largely alive and kicking, and with it, innate conservatism.