Investigating the Jews?

[Asterix89]

Was there some government department tasked with "investigating the jews"? I'm sure I remember reading that there was. What did they do exactly? Look at the Rothschild family? Was this all part of the propaganda machine or was there some kind of earnest investigative work into Jewish financial / political / cultural influence in Wiemar Germany? I mean, obviously the Germans had made up both their mind on the matter and on what to "do about it", but did they have files on Jews in Germany and try and see what they had been doing or something? I presume not, since it would have made such good propaganda to broadcast what they had found, if they had.

Anyway, anyone know anything about this "dark side" of WW2?

[David Thompson]

Asterix89 -- You asked:

Was there some government department tasked with "investigating the jews"?

If you're asking about the German government, not before 1933. After Hitler became the German Chancellor, his government created the Reich Security Main Office (Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA), administered by the SS. Within the RSHA was the Secret State Police (Geheime Staatspolizei or Gestapo). Within the Gestapo was Section B, which monitored Churches and Sects, and within Section B was subsection B-4, which monitored Jews. Its chief was Karl Adolf Eichmann.

The NS-regime also had various groups which tracked certain assets for ultimate seizure, or which regulated certain professions. These groups were not charged with investigating "Jewish financial / political / cultural influence," however.

[Asterix89]

Are Eichmann's notes from his early investigations in the the Jews (and Freemasons) available at all?

[David Thompson]

Asterix89 -- A different Gestapo sub-group -- B-3 -- monitored Freemasons.

I haven't seen any mention of Eichmann's early notes or any "investigations." You might want to contact the US Holocaust Museum to find out more.

[Heimatschuss]

Hello,

Was there some government department tasked with "investigating the jews"? I'm sure I remember reading that there was.

you may have heard about one of the following institutions:

Institut zur Erforschung der Judenfrage
[Institute for Researching the Jewish Question]
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_z ... Judenfrage
Originally part of the NSDAP's Reichsinstitut für Geschichte des neuen Deutschlands [Reich Intitute for the History of the New Germany] that was founded in 1935 (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichsinst ... utschlands). In 1939 they left the Reichsinstitut and moved into the realm of Rosenberg where they became part of his envisaged NSDAP university, actually the only part to materialize.

Institut zum Studium der Judenfrage
[Institute for Studying the Jewish Question]
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_z ... Judenfrage
Founded in 1934 and under the Reich Ministry of Propaganda to provide anti-semitic propaganda with a neutral and scientific cover. After 1939 renamed Anti-Semitic Action, even later Anti-Jewish Action.

or, less likely,

Institut zur Erforschung und Beseitigung des jüdischen Einflusses auf das deutsche kirchliche Leben
[Institute for Researching and Eliminating Jewish Influence on Church Life in Germany]
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_z ... iche_Leben
Founded in 1939 by the various protestant churches of Germany. Main goal was to rewrite the Bible so it would be largely jew-free. Now, THAT'S really a task I must say.

Hope it helps
Torsten

[AliasDavid]

Was there some government department tasked with "investigating the jews"?

Also:
Reichssicherheitshauptamt Amt II (later: VII) "Gegnererforschung"
[Section II/VII of the Reich Security Main Office "Investigation into the Enemies"]
Head: Franz Six

UlrichH

[AmYisroelChai]

Try to get the complete transcripts of Eichmann's interrogation in Israel in 1960. They are in book form and give a good idea of how he "accidentally" got into the so-called Jewish investigation field as a German officer. That led to his illustrious career in genocide. Hannah Arendt's book "Eichmann in Jerusalem" is an amazing work, not quite what you might be expecting. Takes the mystery out of the banality of evil...