Helen Katz
Helen Katz was the youngest of eight children in a traditional Jewish household in Hungary. Her family affectionately called her "Potyo" or "dear little one". She enjoyed school, but she was afraid because so many of her teachers and peers hated jews.
In the early 1930s, her mother-- Maria Terez Halpert Katz-- tried to persuade her husband to take the family to safety in America. He initially refused because he felt the US was too secular for their family. After two years of pleading, he gave in and left for New York to obtain immigration papers for them.
By the time the papers arrived, it was too late for the Katzes. Emigration from Hungary had ceased.
Little Helen began to have nightmares, and she had to stop going to school because of the harsh Nazi restrictions. Her entire family was forced into a ghetto, where they lived in cramped, unsanitary conditions. On the 28th of May, 1944, at 4 AM, the Katzes were shoved onto a cattle-car bound for Auschwitz. Helen was frightened and clung to her mother for hours until they reached their destination. Helen's sisters survived, but Helen and her mother were gassed upon arrival. Helen was thirteen years old.
In the early 1930s, her mother-- Maria Terez Halpert Katz-- tried to persuade her husband to take the family to safety in America. He initially refused because he felt the US was too secular for their family. After two years of pleading, he gave in and left for New York to obtain immigration papers for them.
By the time the papers arrived, it was too late for the Katzes. Emigration from Hungary had ceased.
Little Helen began to have nightmares, and she had to stop going to school because of the harsh Nazi restrictions. Her entire family was forced into a ghetto, where they lived in cramped, unsanitary conditions. On the 28th of May, 1944, at 4 AM, the Katzes were shoved onto a cattle-car bound for Auschwitz. Helen was frightened and clung to her mother for hours until they reached their destination. Helen's sisters survived, but Helen and her mother were gassed upon arrival. Helen was thirteen years old.
The harsh economic conditions and stark unemployment that caused political unrest and prejudice in Germany also created strong anti-immigrant climate in the United States. Unemployment rose to record heights, and an all-time maximum of nearly 23% in 1932. Many natural-born Americans feared that an influx of workers would ruin their job prospects. These feelings were only intensified by anti-semitism. Americans were not keen to allow hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees to enter the country.
German laws encouraged the emigration of German Jews early on, leading to a mass exodus. The Nazis removed many of the bureaucratic impediments and enacted oppressive policies that encouraged emigration, while simultaneously stripping the Jews of what the Nazis saw as German property: the Jews' capital. Each emigrant was only permitted to take the equivalent of four American dollars when they left, making immigration incredibly difficult. Purchasing train fare and other tickets, paying paperwork fees, and the like became nearly impossible.
Getting out of Nazi Germany was a breeze compared to getting into another country. In addition to the struggles of the times-- slow mail, oppression, and economic hardship-- the application process for most countries was elaborate and arduous Many potential immigrants were forced to gather information and paperwork from their doctors, banks, and the police for their applications. These people and agencies were often reluctant or unable to provide the paperwork.
Many of these refugees tried to enter the United States, but were barred by the 1924 Immigration Act, which enacted a nation-based quota system. The quota system essentially forces the refugees to compete for entry. As the war and oppression of World War II worsened, more and more Jewish refugees and victims of war attempted to enter the United States, but the number of slots remained the same each year.
These problems were compounded by the poverty of the Jews; very few nations wanted to admit the impoverished during an economic depression.
German laws encouraged the emigration of German Jews early on, leading to a mass exodus. The Nazis removed many of the bureaucratic impediments and enacted oppressive policies that encouraged emigration, while simultaneously stripping the Jews of what the Nazis saw as German property: the Jews' capital. Each emigrant was only permitted to take the equivalent of four American dollars when they left, making immigration incredibly difficult. Purchasing train fare and other tickets, paying paperwork fees, and the like became nearly impossible.
Getting out of Nazi Germany was a breeze compared to getting into another country. In addition to the struggles of the times-- slow mail, oppression, and economic hardship-- the application process for most countries was elaborate and arduous Many potential immigrants were forced to gather information and paperwork from their doctors, banks, and the police for their applications. These people and agencies were often reluctant or unable to provide the paperwork.
Many of these refugees tried to enter the United States, but were barred by the 1924 Immigration Act, which enacted a nation-based quota system. The quota system essentially forces the refugees to compete for entry. As the war and oppression of World War II worsened, more and more Jewish refugees and victims of war attempted to enter the United States, but the number of slots remained the same each year.
These problems were compounded by the poverty of the Jews; very few nations wanted to admit the impoverished during an economic depression.