| Original caption: “On April 1, 1933, the boycott which was announced by the Nationalsocialistic party began. Placard reads, “Germans, defend yourselves, do not buy from Jews,” at the Jewish Tietz store. Berlin. New York Times Paris Bureau Collection.” “A Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or NSDAP (Nazi Party) Sturmabteilung (SA) blocks entrance to the Jewish-owned Warenhaus Tietz (“Tietz Department Store”) on Leipziger Straße in Berlin, with the sign – Deustche! Wehrt Fuch! Kauft Nicht Bei Juden! (“German! Defend Yourselves! Don’t Buy From Jews!”) Boycotts of Jewish-owned businesses began on April 1, 1933. Georg Karg (August 2, 1888 – November 27, 1972) used the aryanization requirement to force owner Martin Tietz (1895 – 1965) and the rest of the Jewish Board of Trustees to sell the department store to him. After Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) decided not to nationalize or close Jewish-owned department stores, Karg founded Hertie Kaufhaus-Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mbH (Hertie GmbH for short) on July 24, 1933. “Hertie Department Stores” was an abbreviation of Hermann Tietz’s name. Tietz and his wife fled to Liechtenstein in 1939 and his assets were seized by the Gestapo. Other members of the store’s board fled to Switzerland. Hertie was acquired by its competitor Karstadt in 1994, and the Hertie stores were gradually converted to Karstadt outlets. In 2020, the Hertie Foundation, 1 of the largest charitable foundations in Germany, was criticized for refusing to publicly address the Nazi past of its founder. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2022.jpg |
| Image Size | 800.51 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2079 x 2886 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | New York Times |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 1, 1933 |
| Location | |
| City | Berlin |
| State or Province | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-306-NT-178018 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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